Youre Fired: Nearly 40 pro-life groups urge Trump admin to cut off Planned Parenthood funds

FIRST ON FOX — Nearly 40 pro-life and faith groups are calling on the Trump administration to from all federal funding by stripping the nation's largest abortion provider of its qualified vendor status, arguing there is mounting evidence that Planned Parenthood has "allegedly defrauded taxpayers, violated federal laws, and abused public trust."

The letter, spearheaded by Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins, is addressed to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler and was announced Wednesday at the in Dallas. 

In it, 39 group leaders urge Cabinet officials to finalize and expand on an audit launched in January by the SBA into whether Planned Parenthood fraudulently collected tens of millions in COVID Paycheck Protection Program funds despite being ineligible.

If the administration finds fraud occurred, it could issue a sweeping nationwide ban on Planned Parenthood doing business with any federal agency or program for up to three years, Students for Life Action Vice President of Media and Policy Kristi Hamrick told .

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Unlike defunding through Congress, debarment is an administrative action that would ban Planned Parenthood from receiving federal funds, usually for up to three years.

"You are delisted, and no federal agency can do any business with you whatsoever," Hamrick said. 

Hamrick said it would include Title X funds, Medicaid and sex education programs.

"It would make them persona non grata for every federal agency," she added. 

The groups say the administrative route would not need congressional approval and is a more tailored and effective approach to addressing what they believe is taxpayer fraud by the organization.

The letter notes that there is already Democratic precedent for the use of administrative debarment, citing a 2022 letter to the DOJ from Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., demanding the federal government make greater use of debarment against "corporate criminals" seeking government contracts. 

The letter also notes that this kind of review "is not uncommon," citing the SBA's actions suspending Minnesota borrowers over suspected COVID relief loan fraud in January.

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"This is about whether or not Planned Parenthood is a qualified vendor and whether or not we need to stay in business with them," Hamrick said. "And we would argue that it's time for them to be fired for the failure to offer the very thing they claim to sell."

In January, Loeffler announced the SBA was auditing 38 Planned Parenthood centers regarding their eligibility for the $88 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans they received during the pandemic. 

Planned Parenthood released

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