Sullivan, in describing his vote for the bill that would have stripped funding for Planned Parenthood, said he was disappointed the measure didn’t pass, but added that he too opposed a government shutdown. The new short-term bill is widely expected to overcome Monday’s procedural hurdle and be sent to the House early next week.

Boehner said that many Republicans are “unrealistic” about government and recalled how the Bible warns of “false prophets” as he criticized the GOP for “spreading noise about how much can get done”.”I’d like to get us out of that club”. He felt he could win challenges to his leadership mounted by conservatives in his own party, but thought it might do damage to the House and the Republican Party.

The bill in question wouldn’t really defund Planned Parenthood, according to none other than National Right to Life President Carol Tobias.

All of the Democrats plus 8 Republicans voted against a Senate bill that would defund Planned Parenthood, shifting the money instead to women’s health clinics. Two other Republican-backed bills targeting Planned Parenthood and abortions were not scheduled for votes Thursday, and it’s unclear when or if they will be taken up.

The nonprofit women’s healthcare group has denied any wrongdoing.

Three forensics experts hired by a consultant paid for by Planned Parenthood concluded the group behind the videos, the Center for Medical Progress, heavily edited and manipulated them to suggest wrongdoing.

“I think it’s sad that as a woman, she has to resort to lies like the abortion agenda and the video in order to win a nomination“, she said. Planned Parenthood believes that the facts are our friends.

The departure will set off a scramble to move up in the party leadership in the House.

Boehner’s motive with this strategy is to satisfy about 30 GOP House members who are willing to risk a shutdown if the stripping of Planned Parenthood isn’t attached to a critical spending bill. Republicans fear should a shutdown take place, a majority of Americans would saddle them with the blame, as in 2013.

“If enough Republicans in the lower chamber side with Cruz, it could pressure [House Speaker] Boehner not to schedule a vote on a clean Senate-passed stopgap out of fear that it may cost him his gavel”. Five clinics have closed since the 2011 state budget did away with about $1 million in state funding each year.

U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., discusses efforts in Congress to de-fund Planned Parenthood during a news conference at a Planned Parenthood office in Portland, Ore., Friday, September,25, 2015.