Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus Calls Planned Parenthood Panel a ‘Farce,’ Indicates Party May Boycott

[Valin]

The Daily Signal:

Kate Scanlon

October 27, 2015

A leading House Democrat has indicated that the party’s leadership is considering not participating in the Energy and Commerce Committee’s new select investigative panel on Planned Parenthood.

 

In an interview with The Huffington Post, Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif., the chairman of the Democratic Caucus, said that Democratic leadership is contemplating a boycott of the panel. “You hate to disengage when that’s your job,” Becerra said. “You hate to not be on the field. You don’t want to ever disarm unilaterally. But it is still a farce, so…” The Huffington Post added that “Becerra hinted that the party would likely end up participating.”

 

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The Daily Signal previously reported that House Speaker John Boehner recently announced the Republican appointments to the panel.

 

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., will serve as the panel’s chair, and Reps. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., Diane Black, R-Tenn., Larry Bucshon, R-Ind., Sean Duffy, R-Wis., Andy Harris, R-Md., Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., and Mia Love, R-Utah, will also serve on the panel. In a statement after her appointment as chair, Blackburn promised “a broad-based, information-gathering, fact-finding mission to answer questions about how we treat and protect life in this country.”

 

(Snip)