Planned Parenthood affiliates received $80 million in loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in violation of the rules of the relief program revealed Fox News’s Tucker Carlson Tonight Tuesday night.
According to the Fox News host, 37 affiliates of the abortion industry giant applied for and received the coronavirus funds.
Now, officials of the Small Business Administration (SBA) and some members of Congress want the money returned and say it is possible criminal prosecution may apply.
SBA is reportedly contacting the affiliates that received the federal funds, informing each that, with over 600 employees, Planned Parenthood Federation of America is not eligible for the funds that are loaned to organizations with 500 employees or less.
Fox News reported Planned Parenthood Metropolitan Washington (PPMW), for example, “self-certified” that it was eligible for a loan of $1,328,000 but is being asked to return the funds.
Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties in California received the largest loan of $7.5 million.
Ironically, the abortion business voluntarily opted out of the federal family planning grant program (Title X) after the Trump administration enforced a rule that makes a clear distinction between abortion and birth control.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, told Fox News Planned Parenthood had violated the PPP rules:
There is no ambiguity in the legislation that passed or public record around its passage that organizations such as Planned Parenthood, whose parent organization has close to half a billion dollars in assets, is not eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program. Those funds must be returned immediately. Furthermore, the SBA should open an investigation into how these loans were made in clear violation of the applicable affiliation rules and if Planned Parenthood, the banks, or staff at the SBA knowingly violated the law, all appropriate legal options should be pursued.
Similarly, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) tweeted, “The money needs to be recovered and if anybody knowingly falsified applications, they need to be prosecuted”:
In its latest annual report for 2018-2019, Planned Parenthood revealed the organization performed a record-high number of abortions while it also received record-high taxpayer funding.
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