Senate kills family-planning rule; Pence breaks tie
By Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vice President Mike Pence took the rare step of breaking a tie in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, casting the deciding vote to roll back protections for reproductive health funds. Using the Congressional Review Act, which allows lawmakers to repeal recently minted regulations, senators killed a rule intended to keep federal grants flowing to clinics that provide contraception and other services in states that want to block the funding. The rule was enacted in the final weeks of former President Barack Obama's administration, giving lawmakers the opening to nullify it under the review law.