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BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senator James Lankford (R-OK) in introducing the Women’s Public Health and Safety Act, a bill to give states the authority to exclude abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds.

“Hardworking Americans should not be required to fund abortion under the façade of providing health care to our most vulnerable communities,” said Senator Cramer. “Our bill gives states the authority to protect their constituents’ tax dollars from going to the death of unborn children.”

“Abortion isn’t healthcare and taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to support the largest abortion-providers in the country under the guise of women’s healthcare,” said Senator Lankford. “This bill allows states to ensure that tax dollars support the thousands of health care providers without the worry that tax dollars will also contribute to abortion services at organizations like Planned Parenthood. We can simultaneously stand for the unborn while also supporting fundamental, quality health services for women everywhere.”

Under current law, states are required to allow any qualified provider to participate in a state’s Medicaid system. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report revealed Planned Parenthood received $1.2 billion in Medicaid reimbursements over a three-year period, accounting for 80 percent of the abortion provider’s joint federal-state funding stream.

Senators Cramer and Lankford were joined in introducing the bill by Senators Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Mike Braun (R-IN), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Jerry Moran (R-KS). Congressman Michael Cloud (R-TX 27) introduced identical legislation in the US House of Representatives, with 50 members joining as cosponsors.