Washington, DC -- Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) released the following statement after the Susan B. Komen Foundation decided to cut off grant funds to Planned Parenthood.

“It is a shame to see two organizations that do such important work wind up at odds due to a highly-politicized persecution by the Republican-led House of Representatives. This has caused critical funding to be withheld from Planned Parenthood.  My Republican colleagues have an obsession with Planned Parenthood.  I just wish they had an obsession with cutting the payroll tax and putting Americans back to work.

“Planned Parenthood is a lifeline for millions of low- to middle-income women.  For many women, especially those in rural areas and underserved communities, Planned Parenthood is their only source of health care in providing such irreplaceable services for women such as mammograms, health checkups, pap tests and other cancer screenings. Taking away funding for Planned Parenthood is not a death sentence for the organization, but it very well could be for some of the women who rely upon the services. 

“The Komen Foundation does incredible work in helping fight cancer, an insidious disease which kills regardless of political affiliation.  They have raised nearly $2 billion to fight breast cancer, and educated us all about this deadly disease.  Organizations fighting for the same purpose should not allow political vendettas to interfere in their good work.  Together we can fight cancer and someday defeat it.  Divided we can only fail.”

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