A coalition of 128 Republican lawmakers is formally asking the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general to review Planned Parenthood's federal funding and, if warranted, open an investigation into the organization and its affiliates.
The bicameral request is led by Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey and Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, who sent a letter to HHS Inspector General T. March Bell asking his office to examine funding that flows through department programs, grants, contracts and sub-awards. The lawmakers want the watchdog to determine whether there is evidence of fraud, waste, abuse, misrepresentation or other violations affecting federal health programs.
If misconduct is found, the lawmakers say the inspector general should weigh consequences that range from administrative remedies and suspension to exclusion from federal healthcare programs or referrals to other authorities. They also ask the Office of Inspector General to coordinate with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Office of Management and Budget on what they describe as a comprehensive review of the organization's activities.
«Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have faced serious allegations involving the use of federal funds and compliance with federal law. Those allegations deserve a thorough review,» Lankford said. «The HHS Inspector General should follow the facts, determine whether federal laws and funding requirements have been violated, and hold accountable anyone who has misused taxpayer dollars.»
Smith, who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, called the scrutiny long overdue. He cited allegations involving federal funding, reporting requirements, sexual exploitation and fetal tissue, and urged the inspector general to determine whether the organization has violated federal standards for funding recipients.
The letter also points to reports alleging failures to comply with mandatory reporting requirements involving suspected child abuse or neglect. The lawmakers are asking federal officials to examine those allegations as part of the review. None of the allegations have been established as findings by the HHS Office of Inspector General.
The request arrives as the Small Business Administration separately reviews more than $88 million in COVID-era Paycheck Protection Program loans received by 38 Planned Parenthood affiliates. The lawmakers cited that action in their letter, describing it as an investigation into whether the affiliates illegally received the pandemic loans. The SBA has characterized its action as a review of whether the affiliates were eligible for the loans, and the review itself is not a finding that the affiliates violated the law.
Despite that distinction, the lawmakers want federal scrutiny to extend well beyond the pandemic loans. Their letter asks the inspector general to examine Planned Parenthood's broader HHS funding and to coordinate across the federal government on a comprehensive review.
«Given the significant taxpayer resources that flow through federal health and human services programs, it is critical that recipient organizations operate with transparency, integrity, and full compliance with federal standards,» the lawmakers wrote. They closed by thanking the inspector general for what they called his continued commitment to protecting the integrity of federal health programs and safeguarding taxpayer dollars.
An HHS Office of Inspector General spokesperson said Wednesday evening that the office had not yet received the letter and would review it for appropriate action once it arrives. Planned Parenthood did not respond to a request for comment.
The push adds to a broader set of Republican-led oversight efforts targeting federal health spending, including reviews of pandemic-era loan programs and fraud enforcement across health agencies. For now, the request remains a call for review rather than an announced investigation, and any findings would depend on what the inspector general's office determines after receiving the letter.