DOJ Asked to Investigate Planned Parenthood’s $80 Million PPP Loans

(UnitedVoice.com) – The CARES Act passed in March was supposed to help small businesses weather the storm that’s COVID-19. Some businesses, however, are taking advantage of this. The Department of Justice (DOJ) received a letter signed by 28 members of the Senate requesting an investigation into Planned Parenthood.

The reason? Inappropriately applying for and receiving Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) funding.

Thank you, @VoteMarsha, @TomCottonAR, @TeamMitch & the @GOP Senators who are moving to investigate Planned Parenthood for stealing $80 million dollars of coronavirus-relief funds from small businesses. I fully support this, & if I were in the Senate today, I would have signed on. https://t.co/uK7HaNxy2W

— Bill Hagerty (@BillHagertyTN) May 21, 2020

According to reports, 37 different Planned Parenthood affiliates applied for and received an estimated $80 million in loans. The senators argue under the CARES Act, organizations like Planned Parenthood were prohibited from receiving PPP funding. It was meant for small businesses across America.

Like other large organizations that returned monies they were not eligible for, Planned Parenthood should immediately repay the American people the money they took from deserving small businesses and non-profits.

— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) May 20, 2020

Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Jacqueline Ayers, released a statement on Thursday saying the affiliates were eligible. Like many nonprofit organizations, Planned Parenthood 501(c)(3) applied following the rules of the CARES Act and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Planned Parenthood has received a total of $1.5 billion in taxpayer funding over the past 3 years, according to a newly-released government report. Even with so much funding already available to them, many consider it shameful they feel “entitled” to receive PPP funding meant for small businesses across the country — many that won’t survive without it.