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Ayotte Blasts GOP Senate Colleagues Over Government Shutdown 'Games'

Allegra Boverman for NHPR

New Hampshire U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte is urging Republican colleagues not to risk a government shutdown over efforts to de-fund Planned Parenthood.

Speaking on the Senate floor Tuesday, Ayotte was blunt: It’s time for Republicans to face reality.

  “I’m tired of the people on my side of the aisle who are pushing this strategy even though they know they don’t have the votes to have it pass the United States Senate and they certainly don’t have the votes to override a presidential veto. And so they can’t answer the question – what’s the end game for success here?”

Ayotte supports a clean government spending bill, while others back a measure that would fund the government at current spending levels until December, and de-fund Planned Parenthood for one year.

That bill is certain to fail in the U.S. Senate, and the president has pledged to veto any efforts to de-fund the organization.

Ayotte says she agrees Planned Parenthood needs to be held accountable and supports redirecting its federal funding to other organizations.

But she says a government shutdown would only waste taxpayer money and would not yield any results.

Michael serves as NHPR's Program Director. Michael came to NHPR in 2012, working as the station's newscast producer/reporter. In 2015, he took on the role of Morning Edition producer. Michael worked for eight years at The Telegraph of Nashua, covering education and working as the metro editor.
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