Britt, Tuberville join call for federal investigation into Planned Parenthood funding
Lawmakers asked the HHS watchdog to review grants, contracts and health program payments.
U.S. Senators Katie Britt, R-Alabama, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, have joined 128 Republican members of Congress in asking the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General to investigate Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates over their receipt and use of federal funds.
The lawmakers asked HHS Inspector General T. March Bell to review Planned Parenthood’s federal funding streams and compliance with laws and requirements governing federal health programs.
The lawmakers said the review should examine whether Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have complied with financial accountability requirements and restrictions associated with funding administered by HHS.
“Concerns have long been raised regarding the organization’s compliance with applicable federal laws, regulations, and program requirements governing the receipt and use of federal funds,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter follows a Small Business Administration investigation opened earlier this year into whether Planned Parenthood affiliates improperly received about $88 million in loans through the Paycheck Protection Program during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lawmakers also cited allegations involving fraud, false statements, potential violations of federal criminal law and failures to disclose suspected criminal violations to federal authorities. The letter does not establish that Planned Parenthood or its affiliates committed those violations.
Among the concerns raised in the letter are reports that Planned Parenthood facilities or practitioners may have failed to comply with state mandatory reporting laws involving suspected child abuse or neglect. The lawmakers pointed to requirements administered through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that participating facilities and practitioners comply with applicable state reporting laws.
The lawmakers asked the inspector general to review federal funding received by Planned Parenthood and its affiliates through HHS programs, grants, contracts and subawards. They also requested an assessment of whether the organization complied with applicable laws, regulations and funding conditions.
The letter further asks the office to determine whether evidence of fraud, waste, abuse, misrepresentation or other violations affecting federal health programs exists. If misconduct is identified, the lawmakers said the inspector general should evaluate whether enforcement measures, including administrative penalties, suspension, exclusion from federal health care programs or referrals to appropriate authorities, are warranted.
The lawmakers also urged the inspector general to coordinate with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Office of Management and Budget as part of the review.
The request seeks an investigation into the organization’s use of federal funding; it does not announce a finding of wrongdoing by the inspector general.
