House Passes Breast Cancer Research Funding Bill That Excludes Komen

On Wednesday afternoon, Congress passed a bill which will increase breast cancer research funding, which is good. However, the bill that passed is a shell of its former self — it had to be pulled from the floor the day before at Republicans’ request because they objected to the idea of funding Susan G. Komen for the Cure, one of the largest organizations dedicated to fighting breast cancer, because of its ties to Planned Parenthood. So the new bill specifically excludes it. That is fucking dumb.

The Breast Cancer Awareness Commemorative Coin Act, sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) would have raised up to $4.75 million for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Komen through commemorative coins. Now, the coin sales will go only towards the former organization.

The Hill writes that a conservative lobbying group contributed to this asinine omission:

The bipartisan bill, authored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and House Rules Committee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas), had more than 300 cosponsors at the start of the day Tuesday. That number dwindled after Heritage Action, a powerful conservative group, urged Republicans to vote against it.

Heritage Action’s influence over Republicans threatened the vote count under a fast-track process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage. The group rescinded its “key vote” against the bill once the provision directing funds to Susan G. Komen was removed on Wednesday.

Although the foundation has been guilty of its share of PR blunders, Komen’s relationship with Planned Parenthood is simple and totally non-outrageous: the foundation provides $465,000 to 11 locations for breast cancer screening programs. The foundation’s money goes nowhere near abortions (not that it should matter even a little) and it never has.

Do you get that just one day earlier, Republicans were willing to throw away the opportunity to donate millions of non-taxpayer dollars to breast cancer research because one of the organizations was friendly with Planned Parenthood? Do you get it? Am I clearly expressing the GOP’s hollow, partisan bullshit?