The sprint to complete the 2012 appropriations process is in the final stretch, but the finish line may be extended.
Kansas Rep. Tim Huelskamp is sounding the alarm. The freshman Republican is part of a class that gave the GOP control of the U.S. House. Lawmakers like him also helped the House earn a staunchly pro-life reputation.
One of the first bills Republicans introduced was H.R. 3, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act.
"The House passed H.R. 3 to state our clear position against using taxpayer funds for abortion," Huelskamp said in a press release.
But now Huelskamp feels many of the pro-life initiatives adopted by the House are being scrubbed as negotiators iron out the final terms of the bundled spending bills that would fund the government in 2012.
"Based on the contents of this appropriations bill you would not know that this is one of the most pro-life Congresses in history," he said. "The package we are being asked to support essentially preserves the Pelosi status quo, despite the fact that at least 70 of the freshmen would describe themselves as pro-life and that nearly all freshmen oppose federal funding of abortion."
Below is a list of issues Huelskamp has with the bill:
• Title X funding trimmed by "a mere" $2 million.
(Title X is one of many sources of funding for Planned Parenthood; the House voted in February to de-fund Planned Parenthood.)
• No permanent conscience protections for health care providers opposed to abortion.
• No prohibition on international funding of abortion.
Stay tuned to CBN News. We will have a live interview with Rep. Huelskamp Friday morning on the CBN News Channel.