House GOP Crushes Bill That Would Protect Against Child Marriage

Last week, House Republicans blocked a bill that aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating child marriage around the world.  This bill passed with 100 votes in the Senate, yet was stymied by the House Republican leadership based on the possibility it might fund abortions.

On Thursday night, hours before passing the tax cut compromise, House Republicans thwarted a bill that aimed to protect girls around the world from being coerced into child marriage. They opposed it because, they claimed, it might fund abortions.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), was blindsided. After the Child Marriage Protection Act passed the Senate with zero objection on Dec. 1 -- a rare feat these days -- it didn't seem like there was much to worry about.

But just before the vote began, Republican leadership blasted out a "whip alert" to GOP staffers with a message: Vote no. The alert claimed the bill cost too much and that a competing bill, introduced just the day before, would be better.

 Read more at TPM Muckraker