WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and House Committee on Small Business Ranking Member Blaine Luetkemeyer sent a letter to the Department of the Treasury Secretary Yellen and Small Business Administrator Guzman urging an investigation into the millions of taxpayer dollars Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have received through Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
The PPP loans were intended for our nation's struggling small businesses, and it is inexcusable that these agencies continue to allow PPP loans for organizations that are unqualified for this funding. Excerpts and the link to the full letter can be found below.
"Through blatant and well-documented control of its local offices, Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have violated the SBA’s affiliation rules and received millions in taxpayer funds intended for small business relief since the initial authorization of the PPP... It displays a level of complicity that is intolerable and inappropriate. Federal agencies must be trustworthy and responsible stewards of Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars.
"As a result, we insist that the SBA and the Department of the Treasury investigate 1.) the distribution of these loans in violation of the relevant affiliation rules and 2.) whether Planned Parenthood violated the law. Should this investigation conclude that these events did indeed occur, those that deliberately violated the law must face the appropriate legal consequences.
"We will continue to monitor this issue vigilantly. While our nation continues to recover from the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SBA and the Department of the Treasury must ensure the letter of the law and its rules are followed according to Congressional intent. This critical program was created to serve America’s small businesses, not the nation’s most tragic abortion provider."
