Sen. Blackburn: Report of $2B for Abortion Providers 'Appalling'

According to a new study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, nearly $2 billion in taxpayer money went to major abortion providers from 2019 to 2021, a figure that Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., called "appalling."

The study was released Tuesday after a request from Blackburn and Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and shows that Planned Parenthood got $1.78 billion, including $90.4 million from the pandemic-related Paycheck Protection Program.

"It is appalling that big abortion providers are continuing to receive billions of dollars in federal taxpayer funding," Blackburn 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."

Americans, she added, "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."

According to the report:

Health Centers received about $21.69 billion in Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants. The centers, which may be eligible for grants administered by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration, also received about $53.12 billion in payments including Medicare (for persons aged 65 and over, individuals with disabilities, and individuals with end-stage renal disease), Medicaid (for certain low-income and medically needy individuals), and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP—for certain uninsured, low-income children). As of May 2023, 1,150 Health Centers had received an estimated $2.47 billion in Paycheck Protection Program loans. Of that, $2.45 billion, including accrued interest on these loans, has been forgiven.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America affiliates got $148 million in HHS grants or cooperative agreements and $1.54 billion in Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP payments. Affiliates also received 44 Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling approximately $89 million, with the full amount, including accrued interest, being forgiven.
Four privately owned providers of health-related services in various regions of the United States received about $108 million in Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP payments.
International Planned Parenthood Federation received $2.03 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
MSI Reproductive Choices obtained about $1.35 million from USAID.

"GAO found that Planned Parenthood received a whopping $1.78 billion between 2019-2021 while the nation was struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic," said Smith, who co-chairs the House Pro-Life Caucus. "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."

Pro-life members of Congress informed the Small Business Administration that Planned Parenthood affiliates, which employ more than 16,000 people nationwide, were not eligible for PPP funding as their corporate office supervised and controlled affiliates and provided considerable funding and support.

The Trump administration in 2019 issued Protect Life Rule which was modeled on Blackburn's Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which requires those who receive Title X funding to agree not to refer for abortion and to maintain physical and financial separation from abortion providers.

Title X was Planned Parenthood's second largest source of federal funding during former President Barack Obama's administration. While former President Donald Trump was in office, the organization forfeited the Title X funding, leading "almost all affiliates to discontinue using family planning grants" under that source in 2020 and 2021, according to the GAO.