Washington (CNN) - Republicans accused Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards on Tuesday of spending $40 million on "lavish" priorities during a heated and emotional congressional hearing on the embattled organization.
In more than four hours of questioning, House Republicans painted a picture of Richards and other Planned Parenthood leaders hosting pricey parties, flying first class and spending more time fundraising than focusing on women's health care.
"The question before us is: Does this organization -- does Planned Parenthood really need a federal subsidy?" said House Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah. "Does it need federal dollars? Every time we spend a federal dollar, what we're doing is pulling money out of somebody's pocket and we're giving it to somebody else. What I don't like, what I don't want to tolerate, what I don't want to become numb to is wasting those taxpayer dollars."
The hearing offered a chance for both parties to trade shots on Planned Parenthood, which is under fire after a series of edited videos surfaced this summer which purportedly show organization officials discussing the sale of fetal tissue. Some conservative Republicans are seizing on the issue to press Congress to defund Planned Parenthood as part of a broader spending package.
Planned Parenthood gets roughly $450 million a year in federal funding, of which almost $400 million is reimbursement for services covered by Medicaid.
More: www.cnn.com
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