Federal officials are reassessing whether Planned Parenthood entities improperly qualified for and received millions in forgiven COVID-era small business loans.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Trump administration has initiated a renewed review of approximately $88 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans issued to affiliates of Planned Parenthood during the COVID-19 pandemic, examining whether the organizations were eligible to receive taxpayer-backed relief funds.
According to statements provided to The Daily Signal, Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler said Planned Parenthood affiliates obtained tens of millions of dollars in emergency funding during the pandemic and later received widespread loan forgiveness under the Biden administration, despite objections raised during President Donald Trump’s first term.
“At the height of the pandemic, affiliates of Planned Parenthood took $88 million in taxpayer dollars to fund their abortion-on-demand agenda—and the Biden administration made sure they got nearly every cent forgiven, even after the first Trump administration protested,” Loeffler said. “Six years later, the Trump SBA holds the same conviction: Planned Parenthood Federation of America was never eligible to receive a dime in pandemic-era relief from taxpayers.”
The SBA’s review is taking place during the same week as the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., when large numbers of pro-life advocates gather to demonstrate and lobby on abortion-related issues.
The agency has sent letters to 38 affiliates of Planned Parenthood Federation of America requesting documentation to substantiate their eligibility for the pandemic loans, according to reporting by Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell of The Daily Signal. The report also notes that the Biden administration approved forgiveness for 34 loans issued to Planned Parenthood affiliates under the PPP program.
SBA officials are examining whether the affiliates misrepresented either their size or their relationship with the national Planned Parenthood organization in order to meet eligibility requirements. Under the PPP rules, applicants were required to self-certify that they qualified as small businesses, generally defined as having fewer than 500 employees.
“As part of the review underway, not only will we expose the Planned Parenthood affiliates who took advantage of the American people — we will take every necessary step to force every bad actor to pay them back,” Loeffler said.
The SBA stated that affiliates that fail to provide adequate documentation could be deemed ineligible for both the loans and loan forgiveness. The agency warned that entities found to have submitted incorrect or false information could face “severe penalties, including repayment of the loan, ineligibility for loan forgiveness, and possible referral for civil or criminal penalties.”
The Paycheck Protection Program operated from April 3, 2020, through May 31, 2021, during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. The program was designed to help small businesses continue paying employees amid widespread shutdowns and economic disruptions.
According to the Trump administration, Planned Parenthood affiliates certified that they were independent organizations with fewer than 500 employees, meeting PPP size requirements. However, administration officials contend the affiliates should have been considered part of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which collectively exceeds the employee threshold and therefore would not have qualified.
The report also states that the Biden administration forgave many of the loans without “engaging in a meaningful review of their respective applications.”
Republican lawmakers have previously called for investigations into PPP funds distributed to Planned Parenthood affiliates, including Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.
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