Republican lawmakers call for accountability on federal funding for abortion giants

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—A coalition of Republican lawmakers wants to investigate how much federal funding goes to abortion providers including Planned Parenthood.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, House Pro-Life Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith, Rep. Robert Aderholt, and Rep. Claudia Tenney led a bicameral letter to the U.S. Government Accountability Office requesting a report on federal funding for abortion providers between fiscal year 2022 and 2024.

This comes one day after Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will head President-Elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, said DOGE will help “end federal overspending” by cutting expenditures that are unauthorized by Congress or being used in ways that Congress never intended, including “nearly $300 million to progressive groups like Planned Parenthood.”

Smith said he hopes the requested report will help Musk and Ramaswamy defund Planned Parenthood.

“We look forward to working with them in the ongoing effort to stop American taxpayer dollars from funding the abortion industry,” Smith told The Daily Signal. “We have high expectations and great confidence that they’ll do that.”

The coalition of 112 Congress members requests reports on the federal funding that goes to Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates, International Planned Parenthood Federation, MSI Reproductive Choices, federally qualified health centers, and four domestic abortion providers, according to the letter shared with The Daily Signal.

“It is our hope that this report will provide greater insight as Congress considers funding levels and provides increased transparency and openness for our constituencies and the general public,” says the letter signed by 81 House members and 31 senators.

The Government Accountability Office has responded to several congressional requests with prepared reports on federal funding for abortion organizations. The most recent report revealed that the abortion industry had received almost $2 billion in federal taxpayer dollars between fiscal years 2019-2021.

The letter asks for the report to detail Planned Parenthood’s federal obligations, disbursements, and the expenditures of federal funds by each of the organizations; reported obligations, disbursements, and expenditures by program from federal agencies other than the Department of Health and Human Services; the funding sources for federal agencies and programs associated with these federal funds; how these funds were made available; and reported obligations, disbursements, and expenditures for the top 15 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services programs.

During the Biden-Harris administration, Planned Parenthood received a record $750 million of taxpayer dollars. Meanwhile, it performed a record 392,000 abortions between Oct. 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022. Roughly one-third of Planned Parenthood’s total income comes from the federal government.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment about its use of federal funding.

The lawmakers request the report in a timely manner and ask for an estimated completion timeline.

“Proper oversight of public funds and programs is crucial for determining the value of the goods and services provided to and funded by American taxpayers,” the letter says. “The information sought in this inquiry is instrumental for policymakers and the public alike.”

[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by The Daily Signal.]