Two prominent moderate Republicans in the Senate, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, have voiced concerns over a key provision in the House’s reconciliation bill — the “Big Beautiful Bill — that would bar Planned Parenthood from receiving any federal funds.
The provision, which has been championed by more conservative members of the GOP, could become a flashpoint in upcoming Senate negotiations.
The senators are long-standing advocates for abortion. They signaled their opposition to the Planned Parenthood ban in comments to the website NOTUS.org, suggesting it could jeopardize support for the reconciliation package in its current form.
Murkowski emphasized the real-world impacts such cuts would have on her constituents, particularly in rural areas. She is a supporter of abortions for Native women.
“I’m going to continue to be an advocate for the services that Planned Parenthood provides. In Alaska, we’ve got limited services for women in the first place,” she told NOTUS. “They play an important role. So I’m going to continue being an advocate.”
Maine and Alaska have already experienced significant reductions in federal support for reproductive health through the Title X family planning program. Both states have seen Planned Parenthood closures or reduced services in recent months.
Collins has also indicated resistance to the defunding effort, aligning with Murkowski in previous votes where they broke with their party on reproductive rights issues. The two senators are expected to be key swing votes as the Senate prepares to take up its own version of the reconciliation bill, and their skepticism may force revisions to the House-passed language.
As negotiations continue, the Planned Parenthood funding ban is shaping up to be a significant hurdle and one that will give Murkowski the leverage she may want to kill other priorities in the bill.
Taxpayers put over $700 million into Planned Parenthood each year, whether or not they agree with the organization’s primary services — which are abortion and transgender medicine.