FEDERALISM: Senate Lets States Defund Clinics That Perform Abortions.

The measure fell under a somewhat obscure and, until recently, rarely used Congressional Review Act that allows a new Congress to undo actions of the old Congress during the first few months of the year.

It returns to the states the power to exclude health care centers that perform abortions from receiving Title X money set aside for family planning and related preventive health services for women. Title X grants cover contraception, as well as cancer and other disease screenings and treatments, but they cannot, under current federal law, be used to pay for abortion services.

It’s good to see Congress exercising its authority over the Executive branch via the CRA, and the leadership has promised much more to come.