A group of over 100 Republican legislators is calling for a comprehensive inquiry into federal funds channeled to health centers offering abortion services, as outlined in a letter sent to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Friday.
The investigation, spearheaded by Republican Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn and Republican New Jersey Rep. Chris Smith, seeks a detailed accounting from GAO on federal allocations to these organizations over the last three years. In their request, lawmakers emphasized GAO’s history of providing reports on this topic.
The latest data from the GAO revealed that the Department of Health and Human Services allocated an estimated $33.67 billion to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and roughly $49 million to Planned Parenthood affiliates between 2019 and 2022.
Among the signatories of the letter are House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune. The group is seeking a breakdown of funding distributed to Planned Parenthood, FQHCs, and other domestic and international abortion providers such as MSI Reproductive Choices.
“It is our hope that this report will provide greater insight as Congress considers funding levels and provides increased transparency and openness for our constituencies and the general public,” the lawmakers wrote.
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The demand for oversight follows a high-profile op-ed by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, newly appointed leaders of the forthcoming Department of Government Efficiency under President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. The duo outlined plans to slash nearly $300 million in federal support for progressive organizations, with Planned Parenthood singled out as a primary target.
In addition to these cuts in federal funding, the pair stated that they plan on widespread layoffs of federal employees, as part of their extensive plan to slash federal regulations and staffing. Ramaswamy also announced that federal workers must resume full-time office work to reduce regulations and overhaul federal agencies. Ramaswamy is now focusing on eliminating government telework by mandating a full week of in-office attendance for staffers.
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First published by the Daily Caller News Foundation.