Mark Takai and Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii joined nearly all fellow Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday to vote against a special investigative committee to look into Planned Parenthood.

The 242-to-184 vote was heavily along party lines, and the majority Republicans prevailed.

Takai issued a statement after the vote, which his office said will create a “politically-motivated, taxpayer-funded committee to investigate the medical procedures and business practices” used by Planned Parenthood and other groups.

“The formation of this select committee will only serve as a distraction from the important issues that need to be addressed,” said Takai. “Congress has yet to vote on the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, the Highway Trust Fund, which is set to expire at the end of this month, or the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Congress has also just kicked the can down the road on finding a long-term budget solution.”

The House panel was created “in the wake of GOP outcry about the group’s handling of tissue from aborted fetuses,” says NBC.

Planned Parenthood says GOP claims about its work have been “totally discredited.”