Planned Parenthood acquired practically $2 billion in federal funds, pandemic loans in three years
Planned Parenthood associates raked in practically $2 billion in federal funds from 2019-21, together with tens of millions in forgiven pandemic loans, regardless that Republicans contend that the nation’s largest abortion supplier ought to have been ineligible for the small-business program.
The report launched Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office discovered that Planned Parenthood collected $1.78 billion, or a median of $592 million per 12 months, in federal funds in the course of the three-year interval that lined the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most of the funding ($1.53 billion) got here from Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program reimbursements, whereas grants and cooperative agreements made up $148 million, based on the report requested by Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Republican, and Rep. Chris Smith, New Jersey Republican.
Ms. Blackburn known as it “appalling that big abortion providers are continuing to receive billions of dollars in federal taxpayer funding.”
What additional galled Republicans is that Planned Parenthood associates collected $90.4 million from the 2020 CARES Act’s Paycheck Protection Program, regardless of its language saying that the forgivable loans had been just for companies and nonprofits with 500 or fewer staff.
“While small businesses struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic, Planned Parenthood illegally siphoned over $90 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, specifically designed to help our mom-and-pop shops keep their doors open,” Ms. Blackburn mentioned in a press release.
We now know that just about $2 BILLION in American taxpayer {dollars} has been funneled to massive abortion from FY19-21.
This is unconscionable. pic.twitter.com/GfeDHVfKwR
— Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) December 12, 2023
Republicans have lengthy held that the Hyde Amendment ought to forestall Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds, whereas the group has countered that its Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements are for medical companies apart from abortion.
Mr. Smith mentioned that the $90 million “could have gone to struggling small businesses, many of which were forced to close.”
“Federal taxpayer dollars should not be funneled to big abortion corporations like Planned Parenthood, which has killed over 9.3 million unborn children since 1970, including 1.11 million between 2019-2021,” Mr. Smith mentioned. “This money would have been better spent helping the businesses that were forced to close or providing comprehensive medical support for both women and children.”
Other abortion suppliers receiving federal funds from 2019-21 included the International Planned Parenthood Federation ($2.03 million) and MSI Reproductive Choices ($1.35 million), in addition to 4 home regional suppliers ($107.74 million), the report mentioned.
During the Trump administration, the Small Business Administration dominated that Planned Parenthood clinics had been ineligible for PPP loans and sought to claw again the funding, citing their standing as associates of Planned Parenthood of America, which employs an estimated 16,000 folks nationwide.
Under the Biden administration, nonetheless, Planned Parenthood associates had been deemed eligible for PPP loans, a lot to the frustration of Republicans.
“This is a big deal,” Sen. Rand Paul, Kentucky Republican, instructed the SBA administrator at a March 2021 listening to. “The previous administration said this was unlawful and told them to return the money. Your administration is now giving them the money. This is a legal question.”
In September 2022, the SBA Office of Inspector General mentioned associates of three nationwide nonprofit organizations — Planned Parenthood, Goodwill and the YMCA — certified for loans underneath the SBA’s guidelines on what constitutes affiliation.
“We found it is not likely that affiliation existed with its member organizations,” mentioned the OIG report. “All three national organizations we reviewed have delegated autonomy to its members and recognized its members in its bylaws as independent organizations.”
The SBA added: “We found no affiliation between the national organizations and the loan recipients.”
The PPP loans are “are fully forgivable for payroll and certain other eligible costs if certain conditions are met.” The whole quantity of the Planned Parenthood loans had been forgiven as of May 1, the GAO report mentioned.
“Our analysis of Small Business Administration data found that between April 3, 2020, and May 31, 2021, 38 Planned Parenthood affiliates received 44 Paycheck Protection Program loans ranging in amounts from approximately $500,000 to $10 million,” mentioned the GAO.
