Last week Republican Senators across the country voted to defund Planned Parenthood and limit women’s access to safe and affordable healthcare. Since then, numerous Republicans have come out in favor of shutting down the government including John McCain, Rand Paul, and every single GOP presidential candidate. As a result, the DSCC is launching the “GOP SHUTDOWN WATCH” campaign to highlight Republican Senators who are attacking women’s health and leading us to a shutdown.
The DSCC’s sustained campaign will feature web-ads, online ads, Twitter and Facebook, and up to the minute “GOP Shutdown Watch” news alerts, highlighting the latest developments in the Republican push to attack women’s health and shutdown the government.
It’s going to be a long, hot August for McCain, Paul and their colleagues like Kelly Ayotte, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey, and others who will have to come clean with voters back home who want to know – will they shut down the government over funding for women’s healthcare or flip-flop in a panic over their reelection?
It’s clear that the GOP majority has no interest in governing responsibly or stopping the attacks on women’s health that have made their brand so toxic in Presidential elections. Defunding Planned Parenthood would have terrible consequences for the 2.7 million Americans who rely on it for safe and affordable healthcare and a government shutdown would be devastating to working families, students, military families, children, and seniors.
“Time and again, Republican Senators have voted to defund Planned Parenthood and other women’s healthcare programs, and now they need to answer if they will shut down the government to score cheap political points at the expense of women across the country,” said Sadie Weiner, DSCC National Press Secretary. “Republican Senators may have dismissed themselves early for summer break, but the clock is ticking and they owe voters an answer as to whether they’re willing to inflict the terrible consequences of a government shutdown onto their states simply to attack women’s health.”
A new poll shows 62% of voters are less likely to support Kelly Ayotte, 67% of voters are less likely to support Pat Toomey, and 64% of voters are less likely to support Rob Portman if the government is shutdown.
