Two Democrats from the House Oversight Committee urged a government watchdog to investigate the amount of federal funding allocated to crisis pregnancy centers, nonprofit organizations that advocate against abortion.
In a letter sent to the Government Accountability Office, ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) requested a study on the annual amount of federal funding received by CPCs and the specific federal accounts from which it originates.
Even though CPCs have been allowed to receive federal funding since 1996, Raskin and Frost said there has been limited oversight and transparency in the past regarding how that money is allocated and spent.
“Given the concerns from medical professionals and reproductive health experts that CPCs are not bound by medical and ethical practice standards and often do not provide medically accurate information or health care, and the resources they do provide are tied to undermining maternal health and access to abortion, we have serious concerns that CPCs continue to receive millions in federal aid with little transparency and accountability to the public,” they wrote.
According to a recent study, between 2017 and 2023, more than 650 CPCs across 49 states and Washington, D.C., received $400 million in federal funding, including $280 million from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
This funding also came from programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, Title X Federal Family Planning grants, and the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program.
Earlier this year, House Republicans opposed a Biden administration initiative to restrict states from allocating TANF funds to CPCs.
“We are concerned about certain federally funded organizations that claim to provide reproductive health care for pregnant people but whose ultimate motive, often achieved through deception, misinformation, and intimidation, is to prevent people from accessing abortion care,” Raskin and Frost wrote in the letter.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago, numerous states have enacted bans or restrictions on abortion.
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, CPCs use “misinformation and manipulation to delay people in finding abortion care until their pregnancies have progressed past the legal limit for abortion.”
Given that CPCs often do not comply with federal laws requiring privacy protections, opponents have argued these centers might be exploiting patients’ personal data.
Raskin and Frost requested the GAO to examine federal funding allocated to Heartbeat International, Care Net, and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, which provide substantial support to CPCs nationwide.
On the contrary, Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers and advocacy groups were estimated to have received nearly $2 billion from the federal government between 2019 to 2021, according to a GAO report last year.
This report showed groups that advocate legal abortion received at least $1.89 billion in public funds from federal and state governments.
Planned Parenthood affiliates obtained $148 million in HHS grants and $1.54 billion in Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP payments.
They also received 44 Paycheck Protection Program loans totaling around $89 million, all of which were forgiven, including accrued interest.
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“It is appalling that big abortion providers are continuing to receive billions of dollars in federal taxpayer funding,” said Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who commissioned the report along with Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Vicky Hartzler (R-MO), in a statement at the time.
“While small businesses struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic, Planned Parenthood illegally siphoned over $90 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, specifically designed to help our mom and pop shops keep their doors open,” Blackburn continued.