A Day In The Life Of The Stimulus Bill

Matt Drudge and other Republicans over the weekend found their cause celebre, the provision in the economic stimulus package that would have made it easier for states to expand coverage of contraceptives through their Medicaid program. Now the Wall Street Journal's "Washington Wire" has reported that Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and President Obama have agreed in a telephone call to cave- uh, er, drop the provision.

Under legislation promoted by President Nixon, in 1972 Congress mandated the federal government to reimburse states for 90% of the cost of providing family planning services to Medicaid recipients "to ensure that all current, past, and potential welfare recipients who desired contraceptive services would receive them." Currently, however, a state must obtain a waiver if it wants to use Medicaid money for family planning services. Twenty-six states (eight with a GOP governor) have obtained the waiver; under the proposal likely to be dropped, a waiver would be unnecessary.

On Sunday's This Week with George Stephanopoulos, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had committed the crime of pointing out that

the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

But House Minority Leader John Boehner, with no hint of irony, referred to the proposed provision as "taxpayer funding for contraceptives and the abortion industry." That's right: Boehner says promoting contraceptive use increases the number of abortions. You know the cliche: you can't make this stuff up.

It's unfortunate that Henry Waxman and Barack Obama, if the report is true, are demonstrating little backbone. The measure could have been retained or slightly altered- and renamed, accurately, as The Abortion Prevention Amendment, reflecting a policy objective which apparently would have offended the "pro-life" John Boehner.