Rep. Mary Miller Pushes to Cut Federal Funding for Planned Parenthood

On Monday, Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) called on her fellow Republicans to leverage the budget reconciliation process to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

In a letter to Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Miller urged him to “utilize all legislative options available” to halt all federal funds directed towards Planned Parenthood. Breitbart News was the first to report on her letter.

Miller criticized Planned Parenthood as a “multi-million dollar abortion business” that continues to receive significant federal support. She referenced President Trump’s executive order aimed at cutting taxpayer dollars to abortion providers and insisted that Congress must make this decision permanent: “It’s time for Congress to ensure that American tax dollars don’t go to this organization,” she stated.

She highlighted alarming trends in abortion services, noting that “abortions accounted for 97.1% of planned parent-child pregnancy services between 2021 and 2022.” Almost 400,000 abortions were performed in that period, according to data from the Charlotte Lozier Institute.

Miller further emphasized the reliance of Planned Parenthood on federal funding, stating that, due to a lack of decisive action from Congress, the organization has amassed $2.5 billion in private assets and received nearly $700 million in taxpayer money from 2022 to 2023.

She cited the Government’s Office of Accountability report detailing healthcare funding, revealing that Planned Parenthood received approximately $148 million in HHS grants and $1.54 billion from Medicare and Medicaid. Additionally, they were awarded 44 Paycheck Protection Program loans amounting to around $89 million.

“It’s critical to safeguard taxpayer dollars and stop this funding,” Miller continued. She indicated that Trump’s earlier executive order should be the basis for cutting these funds permanently.

Over the years, many politicians and media outlets have seemingly overlooked the role of such organizations, Miller claimed. She quoted Pro-Life Caucus Chairman Chris Smith (R-NJ), who described abortion as a form of violence: “At the very least, taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to finance this horrific child abuse.”

The rallying cry includes a letter from over 150 national and state pro-life leaders advocating for Congress to cease funding the abortion industry, framing it as an urgent need amidst current budget discussions.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated that targeting funding for “big abortion” organizations will be a priority during budget reconciliation discussions. Miller maintains that this is a pivotal opportunity for Republicans to cut funding for major abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

Questions remain about the specifics of any potential cuts as committee representatives have stated they are not ready to comment on individual policy items within the broader budget discussions.

On a concluding note, Planned Parenthood’s most recent report revealed that taxpayer funding, sourced from government grants and Medicaid, reached $699.3 million, which represented 34% of their total revenues. The report also stated that the organization conducted 392,716 abortions from 2021 to 2022, indicating a slight increase in the number from previous years.