Planned Parenthood received $1.78 billion in federal funds while performing 1.11 million abortions from 2019-2021, says a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tennessee, and Rep. Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, authorized the GAO report in January 2022, which was released Tuesday.
A breakdown of the funding shows Planned Parenthood received $1.54 billion in Medicaid, Medicare and CHIP funds, $148 million in Health and Human Services grants or agreements and almost $90 million from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
What’s more, Planned Parenthood was reportedly warned it was not eligible for the PPP loans, which were intended for small businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Still, 44 Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide reportedly applied for and received the PPP loans, which were all ultimately forgiven.
Blackburn issued a statement after the report was released, condemning the use of federal funds to pay for abortion-on-demand services, referencing a January 2023 poll which found 60% of Americans oppose the use of taxpayer dollars for such purposes. She also blasted Planned Parenthood, saying it essentially stole taxpayer dollars to further its agenda.
“It is appalling that big abortion providers are continuing to receive billions of dollars in federal taxpayer funding,” the senator said. “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.
“The American people want their tax dollars spent responsibly and in line with our nation’s values – not on the Left’s abortion-on-demand agenda. I will never stop fighting to protect the unborn and end taxpayer-funded support for the abortion industry.”
Smith echoed Blackburn’s comments, lamenting not only the impact of Planned Parenthood’s abortion services on the U.S. population, but also the economic impact of its potentially fraudulent use of the PPP loans.
“GAO found that Planned Parenthood received a whopping $1.78 billion between 2019-2021 while the nation was struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.“This included $90.14 million in forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program – money that 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. 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.”
