WIBW-TV Topeka, Kan.
Sen. Marshall introduces legislation to ban abortion providers from PPP loans
By Sarah Motter
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Senator Roger Marshall is working to ensure that abortion providers are unable to apply for PPP loans.
Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) says he and Congressman Greg Murphy (N.C-3) have introduced the Abortion Providers Loan Elimination Act, which would require that Planned Parenthood affiliates return $80 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans they applied for and received. He said it would also make sure that Planned Parenthood affiliates and other abortion providers remain ineligible for future funding and instruct the Small Business Administration Inspector General to investigate how the national organization was able to receive funds from the program.
“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.”
According to Sen. Marshall, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the federal government created the PPP, which was meant to help small businesses. He said at the height of the pandemic, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, applied for and got millions in PPP money.
“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.
In May of 2020, Marshall said the SBA notified 39 Planned Parenthood affiliates that they had actually been ineligible for the PPP loans, which totaled over $80 million. He said the SBA found that the affiliates were ineligible for the loans under the applicable affiliation rules and that the money should be returned. According to the most recent data, he said seven affiliates have returned the money so far, but the remaining 31 have kept the money, despite getting the notice that the funds were received wrongfully. As of March 23, he said three of the 31 Planned Parenthood affiliates applied for and received a second round of loans for a combined $4.8 million in additional funding.
“National Right to Life is grateful for the leadership of Senator Roger Marshall and Congressman Greg Murphy in introducing the Abortion Providers Loan Elimination Act. It is inexcusable that the nation’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood, continues to take federal dollars under the Paycheck Protection Program when they are ineligible for funding. This legislation will prevent Planned Parenthood from exploiting the pandemic to supplement its income,” said Jennifer Popik, J.D., Director of Federal Legislation for National Right to Life Committee.
According to Marshall, the Abortion Providers Loan Elimination Act will alter the Paycheck Protection Program to make Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers ineligible to receive PPP loans and takes back the $80 million in received funds. He said he led the bill in the 116th Congress as a Representative for Kansas’ first congressional district.
So far, Marshall said Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ken.) and U.S. Senators John Barrasso (Wy.), Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.), John Boozman (Ark.), Mike Braun (In.), Bill Cassidy (LA), Kevin Cramer (ND), Mike Crapo (ID), Steve Daines (Mont.), Deb Fischer (Neb.), Bill Hagerty (Tenn.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (Miss.), Jim Inhofe (Okla.), John Kennedy (LA), James Lankford (Okla.), Cynthia Lummis (Wy.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Rob Portman (OH), Jim Risch (ID), Mike Rounds (SD), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Rick Scott (Fla.), John Thune (SD), Thom Tillis (NC), and Roger Wicker (Miss.) have signed on to the bill.
“The Paycheck Protection Program was established with the intention of helping small businesses that were struggling during the pandemic. However, bad actors like Planned Parenthood have improperly received loans through the program. We applaud Dr. Marshall and Dr. Murphy for standing up for Americans who overwhelmingly oppose taxpayer funds being used for abortion and fixing this problem by introducing legislation to explicitly ban abortion providers, like Planned Parenthood, from continuing to receive these funds,” said Jessica Anderson, Executive Director of Heritage Action for America.
According to Marshall, in the House, so far, Rick Allen (GA-12), Brian Babin (TX-36), Jim Banks (IN-03), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12), Dan Bishop (NC-09), Lauren Boebert (CO-03), Mike Bost (IL-12), Kevin Brady (TX-08), Ken Buck (CO-04), Ted Budd (NC-13), Michael Burgess (TX-26), Kat Cammack (FL-03), Michael Cloud (TX-27), Rick Crawford (AR-01), Jeff Duncan (SC-03), Pat Fallon (TX-04), Michelle Fischbach (MN-07), Cuck Fleischmann (TN-03), C. Scott Franklin (FL-15), Russ Fulcher (ID-01), Bob Gibbs (OH-07), Bob Good (VA-05), Louie Gohmert (TX-01), Garrett Graves (LA-06), Glenn Grothman (WI-06), Michael Guest (MS-03), Andy Harris (MD-01), Yvette Herrell (NM-02), Jody Hice (GA-10), Clay Higgins (LA-03), Ashley Hinson (IA-01), Bill Huizenga (MI-02), Ronny Jackson (TX-13), Jim Jordan (OH-04), Mike Kelly (PA-16), Trent Kelly (MS-01), Doug Lamborn (CO-05), Julia Letlow (LA-05), Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03), Tracey Mann (KS-01), Brian Mast (FL-18), Marianne Miller-Meeks (IA-02), Alex Mooney (WV-02), Ralph Norman (SC-05), Steven Palazzo (MS-04), Scott Perry (PA-10), Bill Posey (FL-08), Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14), Mike Rogers (AL-03), John Rose (TN-06), Matthew Rosendale (MT-AL), David Rouzer (NC-07), John Rutherford (FL-04), Pete Sessions (TX-17), Greg Steube (FL-17), Ann Wagner (MO-02), Jackie Walorski (IN-02), Michael Waltz (FL-06), Randy Weber (TX-14), Bruce Westerman (AK-04), and Roger Williams (TX-25) have signed on to the bill.