Tea party favorite Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) said Sunday that he was unlikely to support the new budget deal because it doesn't strip all funds for Planned Parenthood. The last-minute deal between House Republicans and Democrats aimed to slash over
April 10, 2011

Tea party favorite Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) said Sunday that he was unlikely to support the new budget deal because it doesn't strip all funds for Planned Parenthood.

The last-minute deal between House Republicans and Democrats aimed to slash over $38 billion from government spending levels.

Pence argued on ABC's This Week Sunday that those cuts alone weren't enough.

"From what I know, it sounds like [House Speaker] John Boehner got a good deal -- probably not good enough for me to support it," he told ABC's Christiane Amanpour.

"Let me explain. I'm pro-life. I don't apologize for it. I also think it's morally wrong to take the tax dollars of millions of pro-life Americans and use it to fund abortion providers."

"You know the federal funds don't do that?" Amanpour pointed out.

"They tried to make this about women's health," Pence said of Democrats. "It wasn't about that. Planned Parenthood's clinics focus mainly on abortion."

Pence's statement is similar to a claim made by Sen. John Kyl (R-AZ) last week.

"If you want an abortion, you go to Planned Parenthood, and that's well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does," Kyl said.

The truth is that in 2009, 96 percent of the organization's activities were dedicated cancer screenings, STD or STI testing, counseling and education, or pregnancy testing and prevention.

"What was clear here, this administration, and liberals in Congress were willing to shut the government down to continue to fund abortion providers in this country," Pence added.

The Indiana Republican made it clear in a recent speech on the House floor that it was Republicans who were willing to see the government shut down if Democrats didn't "respect our values."

"If Democrats here in Washington would rather play political games and shut down the government than support our troops, defend our treasury, and respect our values, then I say, 'Shut it down,'" he said.

"It's time to take a stand. We need to say to liberals, 'This far and no further,'" Pence told a tea party rally last week. "And if liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and force a government shutdown instead of accepting a modest down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say, 'Shut it down.'"

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