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 It’s not unusual for contenders in political battles to try to win support with giveaways, a candidate offering tax cuts, for instance, or a labor union giving out free coffee and donuts at a rally. But Planned Parenthood, now embroiled in a fierce fight with Congressional Republicans, is taking the concept to a whole new level: free testing for sexually transmitted diseases. 
 
 Planned Parenthood, which provides an array of health services, including abortions, through clinics and affiliates nationwide, is under criticism by Republicans over the use of aborted fetuses in medical research. The Republicans want to cut off all federal funding to Planned Parenthood, and some lawmakers have even threatened to shut down the federal government in order to do so. 
 
 Fighting back, Planned Parenthood has declared Tuesday to be “National Pink Out Day,” and said it expected millions of supporters to rally in the group’s defense. As part of the day’s activities, the organization is offering free testing for sexually transmitted diseases in 28 cities, including Washington. where it will be available, curiously, at Ben’s Chili Bowl, a popular restaurant. 
 
 Planned Parenthood also said that its action fund had made a six-figure digital ad buy, including advertisements on the websites of The Washington Post, The New York Times and Politico. The ads emphasize the group’s work providing birth control and cancer screenings and in defending “reproductive rights.” 
 
 Other events include a march to the State Capitol in Salt Lake City, Utah, and an evening vigil in Concord, N.H. 
 
 House Republicans have announced that they are forming a special committee to investigate videos in which officials from Planned Parenthood affiliates discuss the use of aborted fetuses in medical research. Republican lawmakers have accused Planned Parenthood of violating the law by selling the fetuses for profit. Planned Parenthood has said that the videos were doctored by anti-abortion activists, that the recorded conversations were distorted and that the group does not profit from its cooperation with medical researchers. 
 
 The National Pink Out Day will coincide with a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on Tuesday morning about the allegations against Planned Parenthood. The committee had already begun its own investigation into the videos before leaders announced formation of a new special committee. The president of Planned Parenthood, Cecile Richards, is scheduled to testify. 

 WASHINGTON -- Republicans accused Planned Parenthood on Tuesday of spending millions of dollars on political activities, travel and lavish salaries, as the GOP tried to build a case for terminating the group's federal money after a series of surreptitiously recorded videos. 
 
 At a congressional hearing Tuesday, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R.-Utah, railed against the organization and Richards for what he called "exorbitant" spending for salaries, travel, parties and lobbying. 
 
 "That's money that's not going to women's health care," said Chaffetz. He added, "It's a political organization." 
 
 Firing back, Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood's president, said taxpayer money is used to provide sexual disease testing, contraceptives and other health care for women and said none of it is used for political activity. And she said videos released this summer showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing their provision of fetal tissue to medical researchers have prompted increased threats against clinics. 
 
 "These acts against women and health care providers don't reflect American values or the rule of law, and I hope this committee will condemn them," she told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. 
 
 This was Richards' first congressional appearance since being embarrassed by surreptitiously recorded videos, Richards said she was "proud" of its provision of fetal tissue for research, but also sought to minimize the organ donations as a small part of its work. 
 
 Chaffetz told Richards that the committee had found that Planned Parenthood had given $22 million over the last five years to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, its political arm. He also lashed out at the group for spending $5 million on travel in 2013, and confronted Richards about her salary, referring to documents saying she made $590,000 a year. Richards corrected him and stated that her compensation is actually $520,000. 
 
 Richards also said that none of the money going to the organization's political arm comes from federal taxpayers. Chaffetz disagreed. "That has absolutely nothing to do with young women who need a breast exam," said Chaffetz. "It's a political organization." 
 
 Near the end of their testy back-and-forth, Chaffetz showed a slide that he said was from Planned Parenthood's annual report, showing a dramatic increase in abortions and a reduction in breast exams by the organization. Richards said she'd never seen the slide, and then a colleague whispered to her it was actually created by Americans United for Life. 
 
 "I would check your source," Richards told Chaffetz. 
 
 Democrats defended Richards and Planned Parenthood, and some said they were appalled that she was being targeted for her salary. 
 
 Several Republicans also asked about mammograms, which are Planned Parenthood does not perform. The organization performs level 1 breast care screenings and provides referrals to radiological clinics that perform mammograms. 
 
 The videos have made cutting Planned Parenthood's federal money a top-tier priority for Republicans and conservatives. 
 
 Richards condemned the undercover videos, saying, "The latest smear campaign is based on efforts by our opponents to entrap our doctors and clinicians into breaking the law, and once again, our opponents failed." 
 
 Trying to take the offensive, she also criticized the Republicans who control Congress for not investigating David Daleiden and the other anti-abortion activists who made the recordings. Daleiden obtained them after posing as an executive of a phony firm that buys fetal tissue for scientists. 
 
 "It is clear that they acted fraudulently and unethically -- and perhaps illegally," Richards said in remarks prepared for her appearance Tuesday before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. "Yet it is Planned Parenthood, not Mr. Daleiden, that is currently subject to four separate congressional investigations." 
 
 In her written remarks to lawmakers, Richards said just 1 percent of Planned Parenthood's nearly 700 clinics obtain fetal tissue for researchers seeking disease cures. She said that work is a "minuscule" part of her organization's services, which include testing for sexually transmitted infections and the provision of contraception and abortions. 
 
 "Planned Parenthood is proud of its limited role in supporting fetal tissue research," she said. 
 
 The videos - 10 have been released so far - capture Planned Parenthood officials casually describing how they sometimes obtain tissue from aborted fetuses for researchers. 
 
 Abortion foes say the videos show the group breaks federal laws barring for-profit fetal tissue sales and altering abortion procedures to obtain usable organs. Planned Parenthood and its defenders say it's done nothing illegal and say Daleiden dishonestly edited the videos to distort what was said. 
 
 So far, the most damage inflicted on Planned Parenthood by the videos is the insensitive way some of its officials discuss the procedures. That has drawn apologies from Planned Parenthood and bitter criticism from Republicans. 
 
 Tuesday's appearance before lawmakers by Richards marked a pinnacle in a sharply partisan struggle that has helped elevate abortion to one of the year's top political issues. 
 
 Several Republican presidential hopefuls have condemned Planned Parenthood for the procedures and and conservatives have demanded that Congress cut the group's federal payments. Though Republicans lack the votes to accomplish this, it indirectly contributed to the GOP unrest that prompted House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to announce his resignation last week. 
 
 On Monday, the Senate voted 77 to 19 to end debate on a bill to fund the government through mid-December, taking the first steps toward averting a shutdown when the current funding runs out Wednesday night. Some Congressional Republicans have said they would rather shut down the government than keep government money flowing to Planned Parenthood. 
 
 Most Democrats have rallied behind the group, and President Obama has threatened to veto GOP legislation cutting its federal money. Public opinion polls show majorities oppose blocking Planned Parenthood's taxpayer dollars. Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., fearing voter anger, have rebuffed conservatives who would shut down the government if Mr. Obama doesn't agree to halt Planned Parenthood's money. 
 
 The organization receives about a third of its $1.3 billion annual budget, around $450 million, from federal coffers, chiefly reimbursements for treating Medicaid's low-income patients. Virtually no federal dollars can be used for abortions. 
 
 Democrats have used a Senate filibuster - a virtually endless procedural delay - to block GOP legislation halting Planned Parenthood's federal payments. So two House committees plan to approve filibuster-proof legislation shifting Planned Parenthood's Medicaid funds - about $350 million - to community health centers. 
 
 The bill would also keep a promise made during this spring's budget debate to repeal key elements of Mr. Obama's signature health care law. Panel votes are expected Tuesday and Wednesday. 
 
 Four congressional committees are investigating Planned Parenthood. Boehner has said he will also appoint a special committee to probe the group. 
 
 Planned Parenthood has defended itself with newspaper ads, petition campaigns and lawsuits against state efforts to curb its funding. On Tuesday, volunteers and supporters scheduled events in nearly 90 cities and planned to give lawmakers more than 2 million signatures on "I Stand With Planned Parenthood" petitions.
– Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards heads to a hot seat on the Hill Tuesday morning, as the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform holds a hearing on the group's role in the use of aborted fetuses for medical research. In prepared remarks ahead of her appearance, Richards says Planned Parenthood is "proud" to provide fetal tissue to researchers, but just 1% of its 700 clinics do so. She also slams Republicans for not investigating David Daleiden, who recorded controversial videos of Planned Parenthood execs, noting he and other activists "acted fraudulently and unethically—and perhaps illegally." As she testifies, DC residents can head to popular eatery Ben's Chili Bowl for free STD testing, as Planned Parenthood goes on the offensive in what it calls "National Pink Out Day," reports the New York Times. The STD testing is being offered in 28 cities and there will be other events in almost 90 cities, including a march on Utah's State Capitol, while supporters say they'll give lawmakers 2 million signatures on "I Stand With Planned Parenthood" petitions, reports CBS News. The organization has also spent six figures on an ad campaign that will appear on major media websites, drawing attention to the group's role in providing women with birth control and cancer screenings and in guarding their "reproductive rights," per the Times.