Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., told the “Todd Starnes Radio Show” Thursday that he was outraged that the federal government would provide millions in coronavirus funding for Planned Parenthood affiliates that plan on spending about $45 million on the upcoming campaigns of pro-abortion candidates across the U.S.
Starnes pointed out that over 38 million Americans have lost their jobs in the nine weeks since the outbreak of the coronavirus and it is scandalous that the country’s top abortion provider could borrow $80 million while so many families suffer.
“But you know who’s been getting coronavirus money? Planned Parenthood,” he said. The money was from the Paycheck Protection Program. Starnes pointed to the thousands of small businesses that haven’t received a cent from the funds and called the idea that Planned Parenthood could pull in that amount “outrageous.”
Fleischmann said it seems as though Democrats are doing their best to sneak their liberal causes into bills that—on the surface—appear to be well-intentioned. He said he voted against the Democrats’ $3 trillion COVID-19 bill called the HEROES Act. The bill would order the release of some federal prisoners, overturn restrictions on bailouts for Planned Parenthood and provide illegal immigrants with a possible case payment of $1,200, the Times Free Press reported.
“I thought it [funding abortions] was prohibited by statute, but unfortunately—I’ve always said this—we, on the right, we conservatives, play by the rule of law, we stay within the lines,” he said. But the “left and the left-of-left play to win regardless of the rules and ask for forgiveness later.
Fox News reported that 37 Planned Parenthood affiliates applied for the funding and received a total of $80 million in loans. NPR obtained a letter from the Trump administration’s Small Business Administration that told these affiliates that said, in part, that they must return the funds and “if SBA determines that a borrower made a knowingly false certification” on a loan application, it “may refer the borrower for appropriate civil or criminal penalties.”
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Starnes said, “If Planned Parenthood wants to go out there and perform abortions they should do it on their own dime.”