11 Questions Lawmakers Want Answered in Probe of Planned Parenthood’s Federal Funding

by Kate Scanlon: Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform are investigating how Planned Parenthood is using the federal funds that the organization receives.

Reps. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent letters to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and Planned Parenthood President and CEO Cecile Richards inquiring about Planned Parenthood’s “potentially unlawful transactions involving fetal tissue.”

Undercover videos released by the Center for Medical Progress depict Planned Parenthood staffers discussing the price “per specimen” of fetal organs. Planned Parenthood has denied allegations that it profits from its tissue donation program and has called the filmmakers “anti-choice extremists” and their videos “heavily edited.”

In the letters, Chaffetz and Jordan express concern that federal funding may have been used to support “transactions” involving fetal organs and request documents and information regarding federal grants to the nation’s largest abortion provider.

Profiting from the sale of fetal organs is illegal in the United States.

“According to its 2013-14 Annual Report, Planned Parenthood received more than $500 million in government funding in the last fiscal last year alone, accounting for more than 40 percent of the organization’s total revenue,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter to Burwell. “The Department of Health and Human Services provided a significant portion of the federal funds that Planned Parenthood received. It is not clear whether Planned Parenthood used any federal funds to support transactions involving fetal tissue.”

They request that Burwell:1. Identify each agency within HHS that provides funding and/or support to Planned Parenthood or its affiliates, and the programs that each agency administers that provide such funding and/or support.
2. For each year 2010 through present, identify the total amount of federal funding that HHS provided to Planned Parenthood or its affiliates, broken down by agency, group, and program.
3. Identify what restrictions or regulations apply to the use of funding provided by HHS to Planned Parenthood or its affiliates.
4. Identify, specifically, what procedures, services, or other medical treatments are available only or exclusively at a Planned Parenthood affiliate or health center that are covered by either a state’s Medicaid program or a health plan sold via a state exchange or HealthCare.gov under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Do not include services or procedures that could otherwise be provided by a private health care provider.In the letter to Richards, Chaffetz and Jordan write that the “disturbing content” of the videos raise questions about “whether federal funds are being used to finance the potentially illegal conduct described therein.”

They request that Richards:1. For each year from 2010 through present, provide the cumulative amount of funding that Planned Parenthood received from the federal government, and identify all program(s), grant(s), and other sources of the federal funds.
2. For each year from 2010 through present, provide all financial statements and annual reports, including but not limited to Internal Revenue Service Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax.
3. For each year from 2010 through present, identify and provide an accounting of all Planned Parenthood activities that were financed with federal funds, to include the specific amount of federal funds used for each expenditure.
4. For each year from 2010 through present, provide the cumulative amount of funding that Planned Parenthood received from Medicaid programs by state.
5. For each year from 2010 through present, provide a list of the 50 highest-paid Planned Parenthood employees. Include the individual’s title, annual salary, bonuses and any other compensation.
6. According to the 2013-2014 Annual Report, Planned Parenthood ‘supports 66 independently incorporated affiliates, operating approximately 700 health centers across the U.S.’ Provide a list of these affiliates and health centers including a contact with phone number or email for each.
7. Identify, specifically, what procedures, services, or other medical treatments are available only or exclusively at a Planned Parenthood affiliate or health center that are covered by either a state’s Medicaid program or a health plan sold via a state exchange or HealthCare.gov under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Do not include services or procedures that could otherwise be provided by a private health care provider.Both Richards and Burwell have a deadline of Aug. 28 to provide the information to the committee.
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Kate Scanlon (@scanlon_kate) is a news reporter for The Daily Signal and graduate of The Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program.

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