Staff Reports
The Government Accountability Office recently disclosed that from 2019 to 2021, Planned Parenthood affiliates amassed an estimated $2 billion in federal funds. This staggering sum comprised millions of forgiven loans during the pandemic, despite Republican claims that the largest abortion provider in the country should not have been eligible for the small-business program.
WHO APPROVED $2 BILLION TO PP?@HouseAppropsGOP
Planned Parenthood received nearly $1.8 billion in federal funds, pandemic loans in three years – Washington Times https://t.co/K0rnvoZJpO— Concerned Voting (@ConcernedVoting) December 12, 2023
The report highlighted that Planned Parenthood received a substantial $1.78 billion in federal funds over the three-year period that the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, an average of approximately $592 million per year. Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Program reimbursements contributed a staggering $1.53 billion of this money, while grants and cooperative agreements contributed $148 million. Red-blooded Republican combatants, Senator Marsha Blackburn and Representative Chris Smith, both requested the report.
Fearless conservative Senator Blackburn of Tennessee uttered the term "appalling" when she stated that the fact that large abortion providers continue to receive billions of dollars in federal funding is "appalling." Furthermore, to add insult to injury, affiliates of Planned Parenthood stole $90.4 million from the Paycheck Protection Program of the 2020 CARES Act, despite the fact that the forgivable loans were intended for nonprofits and enterprises with 500 or fewer employees. Senator Blackburn expressed his justifiable indignation by asserting that "as small businesses grappled with financial hardships amidst the pandemic, Planned Parenthood fraudulently appropriated more than $90 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, an initiative explicitly intended to assist mom-and-pop establishments in maintaining operations."
The opposition has consistently maintained that federal funding should not be granted to Planned Parenthood under the Hyde Amendment. In contrast, the organization has maintained that the reimbursements it receives from Medicare and Medicaid are for medical services unrelated to abortion.
Devoted New Jersey Republican Representative Smith expressed his discontent with the circumstance, noting that the $90 million "could have been allocated to struggling small businesses, of which many were forced to close." He emphasized that "large abortion corporations, such as Planned Parenthood, which has murdered over 9.3 million unborn children since 1970, including 1.11 million between 2019 and 2021, should not receive federal taxpayer funds." The allocated funds could have been more effectively utilized to assist the shuttered businesses or to provide comprehensive medical assistance for children and women.
Furthermore, anyone who believed that only Planned Parenthood was profiting from federal funds was mistaken. According to the report, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, MSI Reproductive Choices, and four domestic regional providers were among the additional recipients of federal funds for abortion services between 2019 and 2021.
Further compounding the situation, the Trump administration had previously issued a decision disqualifying Planned Parenthood clinics from PPP loans and had endeavored to recoup the associated funds. To the dismay of Republicans, Planned Parenthood affiliates were in some way regarded eligible for PPP loans during the Biden administration. Unafraid to hold back, Senator Rand Paul voiced his concern, stating, "The prior administration deemed this to be illegal and instructed them to return the funds. Your government is currently transferring the funds to them. This pertains to legal matters."
Further bewildering the situation was the assertion made by the SBA's Office of Inspector General that affiliates of Planned Parenthood, Goodwill, and the YMCA were eligible for loans in accordance with the SBA's regulations regarding affiliation. Conservatives, who expected accountability and equity in the distribution of federal funds, particularly during turbulent times, reacted angrily to this action.
As of May 1, the GAO report disclosed that Planned Parenthood had repaid in full all 44 Paycheck Protection Program loans, amounting to an estimated $10 million. This meant that the financial burden of the organization had been lifted from the loans. This contentious matter further underscores the persistent conflict between the Republican Party and the abortion provider concerning accountability and federal funding.
