No COVID-19 Crisis Paycheck Protection Program Cash for Planned Parenthood

Abortion giant Planned Parenthood receives half a billion dollars in taxpayers’ money every year, and taxpaying pro-lifers have no say where their money goes. Although the Hyde Amendment bars direct funding for abortions, pro-lifers feel complicit even if their hard-earned dollars pay the light bill.

President Donald Trump used his authority to deny Planned Parenthood access to Payment Protection program funds. From the Daily Signal’s exclusive report (emphasis added):

“While not all Americans share President Trump’s pro-life beliefs, there is broad bipartisan support for the idea that American taxpayers should not have to fund abortion,” the official said Wednesday night.
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The senior administration official told The Daily Signal that the Small Business Administration’s mission already excludes big enterprises such as Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider.

“The SB in SBA is for ‘small business,’ so SBA has regulations called ‘affiliation rules’ to define when small employers might be so closely affiliated with a parent organization that they should be considered one large employer,” the official said…adding:

While each Planned Parenthood affiliate has fewer than 500 employees, nationwide it has over 16,000 employees. So when applying PPP’s affiliation rules neutrally, it’s clear that Planned Parenthood is one large employer and not eligible for PPP money.

State and local governments have ordered businesses to shut down to “flatten the curve” of the COVID-19 outbreak. As a result, businesses have laid off employees and/or shut down for lack of customers. Restaurants are doing drive-through and curbside-only services. Churches and other organizations have had to lay off employees.

Businesses applied for and quickly depleted Paycheck Protection program funds, which provide an incentive for them to stay open or re-open, and keep employees on the payroll. Congress passed another big COVID-19 crisis funding bill last week. Those funds likely will be depleted soon as well.