{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://degette.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/house-pro-choice-caucus-co-chairs-call-out-attempt-to-use-must-pass", "House Pro-Choice Caucus co-Chairs Call Out Attempt to Use Must-Pass Funding Measure to Attack Womens Health", "2014-12-08", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "CO", "Diana DeGette", "D000197", "degette.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON \u2013 Today, Representatives Diana DeGette (D-CO) and\u00a0Louise Slaughter (D-NY), co-Chairs of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, criticized an attempt to attack women\u2019s health by attaching an ideological policy rider to a funding bill that must pass before December 11th to avoid a government shutdown. \u00a0The rider would double down on the Supreme Court\u2019s controversial Hobby Lobby decision by allowing corporations to exercise a \u201cconscience clause\u201d to deny certain types of health coverage mandated under the Affordable Care Act to their employees.\nIn a letter to Speaker John Boehner, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers and Ranking Member Nita Lowey, DeGette and\u00a0Slaughter expressed their dismay that some Members would risk shutting down the entire federal government over an ideological objection to women\u2019s health coverage.\nRead the letter below:\nDear Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Lowey,\nRecent news reports have indicated that several colleagues in the House of Representatives hope to use forthcoming appropriations legislation as a vehicle for language that would severely compromise women\u2019s health. As\u00a0co-chairs of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, we write to express our strong opposition to subverting the legislative process in order to promote ideological platforms.\u00a0\nThe legislative proposals\u00a0that\u00a0we understand have been discussed would effectively undo the preventive services benefits of the Affordable Care Act and allow\u00a0a private right of action for any individual or corporation that feels\u00a0it has\u00a0experienced a violation of \"conscience\u201d\u00a0as a result of providing any\u00a0health care\u00a0service\u00a0to which they have an objection. This broad language goes far beyond other related proposals previously rejected in\u00a0the Senate and would severely restrict access to necessary health care services, especially for women.\nThis kind of political maneuvering\u00a0\u2013\u00a0using must-pass legislation to accomplish a\u00a0\u201cwish list\u201d of one faction of Congress\u00a0and risking a government shutdown\u00a0- is precisely the kind of behavior the American people detest. We urge you in the strongest possible terms to keep any appropriations legislation considered before the close of the 113th Congress free from ideological policy riders.\nSincerely,\nLouise M. Slaughter\nMember of Congress\n\u00a0\nDiana DeGette\nMember of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://degette.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/house-pro-choice-caucus-co-chairs-call-out-attempt-to-use-must-pass"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 5.416175117716193, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}