Cassidy, Colleagues Introduce Bicameral Legislation Banning Abortion Providers from PPP Participation

Press Release

U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), U.S. Representative Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC-03), and 86 House and Senate colleagues introduced the Abortion Providers Loan Elimination (APLE) Act, which requires Planned Parenthood affiliates to return the $80 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans they illegally applied for and received. It would also ensure Planned Parenthood affiliates, and other abortion providers, remain ineligible for future PPP funding and instruct the Small Business Administration (SBA) Inspector General to investigate how this national organization was able to receive funds from the program.

"The Paycheck Protection Program is a lifeline for small businesses, churches, and charities as we recover from the pandemic. It was not meant to pad the accounts of large, national organizations like Planned Parenthood,"said Dr. Cassidy. "Louisiana families should not be forced to give their hard-earned tax dollars to abortion businesses. This bill ensures these loans are promptly returned and revokes the organization's eligibility for future funding."

"The Paycheck Protection Program was created to provide struggling small businesses with much needed federal assistance at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Like most Americans, I was outraged to hear Planned Parenthood affiliates gamed the system and illegally obtained $80 million through the program," said Senator Marshall. "It's clear to me that Americans don't want their hard earned tax dollars to fund abortions, and to Planned Parenthood's dismay, our bill claws back the money and investigates into how it ever was allowed to happen. As a physician who delivered thousands of babies in rural Kansas and now a U.S. Senator, I consider my efforts to protect the sanctity of life my most important work, and I'm pleased my colleagues joined me in this fight."

"Abortion providers have absolutely no business receiving PPP loans. It is a scandal that Planned Parenthood received loans through PPP in the first place. The money they received could have gone toward saving your favorite local restaurant or mom and pop shop, but instead Planned Parenthood took this money and used it to kill the unborn. I'm proud to join Senator Marshall in a bicameral effort to right this wrong and explicitly outlaw Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers from receiving these loans ever again," said Representative Murphy.

Bill co-sponsors include Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Rob Portman (R-OH), Jim Risch (R-ID), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Rick Scott (R-FL), John Thune (R-SD), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Roger Wicker (R-MS), Rick Allen (R-GA-12), Brian Babin (R-TX-36), Jim Banks (R-IN-03), Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12), Dan Bishop (R-NC-09), Lauren Boebert (R-CO-03), Mike Bost (R-IL-12), Kevin Brady (R-TX-08), Ken Buck (R-CO-04), Ted Budd (R-NC-13), Michael Burgess (R-TX-26), Kat Cammack (R-FL-03), Michael Cloud (R-TX-27), Rick Crawford (R-AR-01), Jeff Duncan (R-SC-03), Pat Fallon (R-TX-04), Michelle Fischbach (R-MN-07), Cuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), C. Scott Franklin (R-FL-15), Russ Fulcher (R-ID-01), Bob Gibbs (R-OH-07), Bob Good (R-VA-05), Louie Gohmert (R-TX-01), Garrett Graves (R-LA-06), Glenn Grothman (R-WI-06), Michael Guest (R-MS-03), Andy Harris (R-MD-01), Yvette Herrell (R-NM-02), Jody Hice (R-GA-10), Clay Higgins (R-LA-03), Ashley Hinson (R-IA-01), Bill Huizenga (R-MI-02), Ronny Jackson (R-TX-13), Jim Jordan (R-OH-04), Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), Trent Kelly (R-MS-01), Doug Lamborn (R-CO-05), Julia Letlow (R-LA-05), Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO-03), Tracey Mann (R-KS-01), Brian Mast (R-FL-18), Marianne Miller-Meeks (R-IA-02), Alex Mooney (R-WV-02), Ralph Norman (R-SC-05), Steven Palazzo (R-MS-04), Scott Perry (R-PA-10), Bill Posey (R-FL-08), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA-14), Mike Rogers (R-AL-03), John Rose (R-TN-06), Matthew Rosendale (R-MT-AL), David Rouzer (R-NC-07), John Rutherford (R-FL-04), Pete Sessions (R-TX-17), Greg Steube (R-FL-17), Ann Wagner (R-MO-02), Jackie Walorski (R-IN-02), Michael Waltz (R-FL-06), Randy Weber (R-TX-14), Bruce Westerman (R-AK-04), and Roger Williams (R-TX-25).

Earlier this month, Cassidy joined 100 House and Senate colleagues in calling on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and the White House to reverse their plans to abolish the Protect Life Rule, which prevents American tax dollars from being used to fund abortion. Read the full letter here.

After learning that Planned Parenthood received loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), Cassidy demanded Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabel Guzman open an investigation. He urged SBA to take action to ensure Planned Parenthood affiliates return the funding and do not receive second-draw loans.

Background

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the federal government instituted the PPP which was intended to aid small businesses. At the height of the pandemic, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a national organization with central control over its affiliates, over $2 billion in assets, and 16,000 employees applied for and received millions in PPP money.

In May of 2020, SBA notified 39 Planned Parenthood affiliates that they had wrongfully applied for PPP loans totaling more than $80 million. SBA determined that these affiliates were ineligible for the loans under the applicable affiliation rules, and that the loans they received should be returned. According to the most recently available data, 7 affiliates did so, but the remaining 31 affiliates kept the received funding despite receiving notice that they have received such funds illegally. As of March 23, 2021, 3 of the 31 Planned Parenthood affiliates again applied for and received second draw loans for a combined $4.8 million of additional funding.

The Abortion Providers Loan Elimination (APLE) Act alters the Paycheck Protect Program to make Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers ineligible to receive a PPP loan and claws back the $80 million Planned Parenthood affiliates received.

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