HARRISBURG -- Gov. Ed Rendell is at odds with a pair of Republican senators over the use of federal Medicaid funds for family planning programs for low-income women.

In a move that caught Republican Sens. Jeffrey Piccola of Harrisburg and Jane Orie of McCandless by surprise, Rendell removed from the 2005-06 state budget restrictions on federally funded health, birth control and family planning services that the anti-abortion Republicans had inserted.

Orie and Piccola, frequent critics of Rendell, are concerned because Rendell wants the state Department of Public Welfare to seek federal Medicaid funds for low-income women's health, family planning and birth control services.

The Republicans want to make sure that the federal funds aren't used for abortion-related programs and want the funds subjected to the same restrictions that have been in place since 1996 on state-funded family planning programs.

Rendell press secretary Kate Philips said she wasn't sure yet how much federal funding would be sought.

She said this is the first year the state plans to use Medicaid funding for family planning programs. Seeking federal Medicaid funds "is the smart thing to do," she said, and will make services available to more women.

Funds generally are used for programs such as breast and cervical cancer detection, pap smears, protection against sexually transmitted diseases and birth control measures.

Orie and Piccola, who's a possible GOP candidate for governor in 2006, fear that the federal Medicaid funds might be used for abortion-related services unless a specific restriction was placed in the new state budget. That's what they did.

The Piccola/Orie restrictions that were vetoed did two things. They said the Welfare Department couldn't spend any more money on family planning services than the $8.8 million in state funds that was spent in the just-ended 2004-05 budget. The 2005-06 budget also provides $8.8 million in state funds for women's health services.

The Republicans also said that any federal Medicaid funds spent on family planning would face the same restrictions placed on grants for the "women's medical services" program, a 10-year-old program using state funds that was started in 1996 by former Republican Gov. Tom Ridge.

When the program started, conservative legislators, who didn't want state funds used for abortion-related programs, put restrictive language in the state budget: "These funds shall not be used to promote, perform or refer for abortions or engage in abortion counseling."

The same restrictions were added to the 2005-06 budget to limit the use of federal Medicaid funds for family planning programs. Rendell "blue-lined," or vetoed, those federal Medicaid restrictions.

He said that putting such limits on the use of Medicaid funds likely violates the state Constitution and federal law and besides, he considered it "just plain bad policy." He wants to use federal funding to expand family planning services for lower-income women.

Donna Cooper, Rendell's policy director, said the state's General Appropriations bill -- the annual budget -- was not the proper place to make state policy on medical services.

"The appropriations bill just allocates money," she said. "It shouldn't be used to define programs."

Piccola was angry about Rendell's veto. "As a legislator who values the sanctity of innocent human life, I will do everything in my power to fight against this outrageous action," he said. "This is a direct assault on those Pennsylvanians that believe their state dollars should not be associated with abortion."

He is one of three Republicans seeking to run against Rendell next year. The others are broadcaster and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann and former Lt. Gov. William Scranton. In Pennsylvania, anti-abortion voters are a strong force.

Orie is "conferring with Republican Senate leadership on what to do next," said Joanne McGreevy, director of the Senate's Aging and Youth Committee, which Orie chairs.

Possible actions include a vote to override the veto this fall when the Legislature returns or separate legislation again putting the restrictions on the use of Medicaid money for family planning services.

Family planning agencies, such as Planned Parenthood and the Pittsburgh-based Family Health Council, praised Rendell's veto, saying federal Medicaid funds would make health care and birth control services available to hundreds more low-income, uninsured women.

Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, also said Rendell did the right thing.

By promoting birth control "and preventing unintended pregnancies, these services actually result in fewer abortion and save state taxpayers money on the overall cost of Medicaid,'' he said.