White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest says administration officials take a “dim view” of Sen. Rand Paul’s effort to defund Planned Parenthood as part of the debate surrounding the draft of the highway bill currently underway in the Senate.
Last Friday, Paul called for a vote on defending the controversial organization as a result of the undercover investigation videos showing Planned Parenthood officials bartering over the remains of unborn children.
Earnest confirmed that the White House opposed efforts to defund the organization, describing Paul’s effort as an “ideological rider” to the highway bill.
Earnest said he hadn’t discussed the videos with the president but questioned their accuracy.
He also cited “significant concerns” surrounding videos asserting that they were “selectively edited to distort not just the words of the individual speaking, but also Planned Parenthood.”
He again referred additional questions from reporters about Planned Parenthood’s ethical practices to Planned Parenthood.