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Today, Congressman Bill Huizenga announced his support for the Abortion Providers Loan Elimination (APLE) Act. This legislation would require Planned Parenthood affiliates to return the $80 million in loans they illegally applied for and received under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). It also ensures Planned Parenthood affiliates, as well as other abortion providers, remain ineligible for any potential future PPP funding. Lastly, the legislation also instructs the Small Business Administration (SBA) Inspector General to investigate how this national organization was able to receive funds from the program.

Congressman Huizenga is the first member from Michigan to sign on in support of this legislation. The APLE Act is authored by Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (R-NC) and is cosponsored by 62 members of the House and 25 U.S. Senators.

“Taxpayer dollars designed to help small businesses keep the lights on and keep paychecks flowing to employees during a pandemic should not be used to extinguish the lives of innocent children,” said Congressman Bill Huizenga. “Planned Parenthood should not have been eligible to receive funding through the Paycheck Protection Program in the first place. The Abortion Providers Loan Elimination Act takes corrective action by recouping the funding illegally obtained and blocking abortion providers from receiving taxpayer funding through the Paycheck Protection Program. Additionally, this measure requires an investigation into how Planned Parenthood was able to access funding in the first place despite being ineligible to do so.”

Background:

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the federal government instituted the PPP which was intended to aid small businesses. At the height of the pandemic, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a national organization with central control over its affiliates, over $2 billion in assets, and 16,000 employees applied for and received millions in PPP money.

In May of 2020, SBA notified 39 Planned Parenthood affiliates that they had wrongfully applied for PPP loans totaling more than $80 million. SBA determined that these affiliates were ineligible for the loans under the applicable affiliation rules, and that the loans they received should be returned. According to the most recently available data, 7 affiliates did so, but the remaining 31 affiliates kept the received funding despite receiving notice that they have received such funds illegally. As of March 23, 2021, 3 of the 31 Planned Parenthood affiliates again applied for and received second draw loans for a combined $4.8 million of additional funding.

The Abortion Providers Loan Elimination (APLE) Act alters the Paycheck Protect Program to make Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers ineligible to receive a PPP loan and claws back the $80 million Planned Parenthood affiliates received.