Senator Marsha Blackburn, a Republican legislator from Tennessee, is leading the call for the Government Accountability Office’s explanation of what federal funding Planned Parenthood receives and what other abortion providers are receiving.
In a Tuesday letter, the lawmakers reminded Government Accountability Office of several reports that it had prepared on behalf of Congress in the past. These included reports on federal funding for Federally Qualified Health Centers and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, International Planned Parenthood Federations, MSI Reproductive Choices (previously known as Marie Stopes International) and four other domestic abortion providers.
The domestic abortion providers specified in the letter are FBA Women’s Health, American Women’s Services, All Women’s Health Center, and Whole Women’s Health.
“What we are asking GAO to do is to give us a report showing where this funding has gone from 2019 through 2021, and of course, what we want to see is the money trail on this,” Blackburn told The Daily Signal in a phone interview ahead of Friday’s annual March for Life and the anniversary on Saturday of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion nationwide.
“We know that these Planned Parenthood chapters, many times at their facilities, they will get the money, money is fungible, and while they say it is not used for abortion, it is used for other health care services,” the Republican senator added. “Still, it is all in that same pot of money.”
In their letter, the lawmakers note that they need data on any Paycheck Protection Program loans received and forgiven by Planned Parenthood.
Republicans have repeatedly accused Planned Parenthood, claiming that it illegally received those loans. calledThe Small Business Administration will investigate why and how the abortion giant received coronavirus aid.
“This year’s report is going to have an extra request, and that has to do with the Paycheck Protection Program, with those PPP funds, because we found out that some Planned Parenthood organizations had applied for and received those funds,” Blackburn told The Daily Signal. “So, what we would like to know is, who they are and how much did they get?”
Blackburn believes that the Government Accountability Office, as it has done in past, will provide the requested data.
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