Barbara Comstock’s latest ad makes two glaringly false claims:
(1) That she worked to avoid another government shutdown and
(2) That she works to breakthrough political gridlock.
Factcheck:
Last September when lawmakers were attempting to fund the government, Barbara Comstock joined obstructionist Republicans in voting to defund Planned Parenthood – a move that could have triggered a government shutdown. Barbara Comstock later stated her reason for voting for the budget bill was to keep open a political-motivated investigation into Planned Parenthood.
“While Barbara Comstock’s ad claims she worked to avoid another government shutdown, this is not the case,” said Jermaine House of the DCCC. “She joined obstructionist Republicans in a vote to defund Planned Parenthood that could have triggered a shutdown. And her promise to continue her support of a taxpayer-funded attack on women’s health further proves that she is willing to halt government functions to appease the extremist wing of the her party.”
Background
Comstock Wanted To Keep Government Open To Keep Investigation Into Planned Parenthood Going. “Shutting down the federal government would have taken away the focus on these important hearings. National Right To Life President Carol Tobias in an op-ed echoed those concerns and is against a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood. As the congressional investigations progress, I hope the American people become more aware of these vile videos of Planned Parenthood.” [Comstock Press Release, 9/30/15]
Comstock Voted To Potentially “Trigger … A Shutdown” By Defunding Planned Parenthood. In September 2015, Comstock voted for the Defund Planned Parenthood Act 2015. According to the Washington Post, “Days before lawmakers must pass new legislation to fund the government, Republicans are vowing to reject any proposal that includes public money for Planned Parenthood. The move could trigger not only a shutdown, but if it succeeds, more bills for taxpayers. The Congressional Budget Office said in a new report on Thursday that cutting off the women’s health organization from federal money would actually increase public spending by an estimated $130 million over 10 years. … The office’s math: Halting federal funds to Planned Parenthood would shrink spending by $520 million in the short run — but, over the first decade, it would cost taxpayers an additional $650 million.” [H.R. 3134, Vote #505, 9/18/15; CQ, 9/23/15; The Washington Post, 9/24/15]
Wall Street Journal Headline: Planned Parenthood Fight Threatens To Bring Shutdown [Wall Street Journal, 9/08/15]