Obama Asks Dems To Drop Family Planning From Stimulus Package

The Atlantic: On Obama's Urging, House Dems To Drop Family Planning From Stimpak, by Marc Ambinder:

According to the AP, President Obama called Henry Waxman and personally asked that the provision making it easier for states to pay for family planning funding for Medicaid be stricken from the bill.

Though details aren't final, and though Waxman hasn't reacted in public yet, Democrats in the House seem to be ready to concede the point to the White House.

A Democrat familiar with the administration's reasoning said that while Obama and the House still considered it "good policy" and did "save money," it became "an easy target for critics who said it would not help the economy, so better to take it out and keep focus on the bill creating jobs."

The provision will likely return in later legislation.

Huffington Post: What Obama's Nixing Family Planning Money Tells Us, by Ian Welsh:

President Barack Obama asked Comittee Chairman Henry Waxman to remove family planning money from the stimulus bill after Republicans objected.  This is on the heels of nixing bankruptcy reform because, well, Republicans objected.

Money for family planning is good stimulus as there is unfulfilled demand due to chronic underfunding. People can be hired immediately and there is demand for the service. It fits in a stimulus bill very well because it provides immediate spending. In fact it fits better than many of the other things in the bill, such as tax cuts for corporations which we know from experience will create few if any jobs.