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Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and several other Republican senators introduced the Protecting Funding for Women’s Healthcare Act, which would prevent any taxpayer dollars from going to the nation’s single largest provider of abortions, as the Biden Administration looks to reverse a rule that prevents Title X funds from going to abortion providers. This week, Rubio joined colleagues in urging the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra and the White House to preserve the rule and prevent taxpayer dollars from going to abortion providers.
 
The Protecting Funding for Women’s Healthcare Act would apply to funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). In May 2020, Rubio, author of the PPP and former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, led 33 of his Senate colleagues and 94 Members of the House of Representatives in requesting that Jovita Carranza, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), conduct a full investigation into how 37 Planned Parenthood affiliates applied for and improperly received a total of $80 million in PPP loans. 
 
“Taxpayer dollars should never be used to fund organizations that perform abortions, an inhumane practice that a substantial percentage of Americans have a strong moral objection to,” Rubio said. “Planned Parenthood should never receive federal funding, and this legislation would make that a reality. I am proud to join Senator Ernst in introducing this legislation, and I remain committed to fighting for the unborn.”
 
“We must always fight to protect the most vulnerable of our society, the unborn. Sadly, President Biden is working to reverse a rule from the previous administration that prevented taxpayer money from going toward abortion providers,” Ernst said. “Iowans should not be forced to fund organizations like Planned Parenthood, the nation’s single largest provider of abortions, and this legislation will help put an end to this practice and redirect those funds to eligible women’s health care providers.”
 
Background:
The Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act prohibits taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood. Instead, the bill redirects those funds to other eligible women’s health care providers while ensuring there is no reduction in federal funding for women’s health services.
 
Specifically, the Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act:

• Prohibits federal funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America or any of its affiliate organizations;
• Forbids Planned Parenthood from being eligible for any federal dollars, including through mandatory expenditures or unobligated funding of individual agencies;
• Protects federal funding for health services for women, including diagnostic laboratory and radiology services, well-child care, prenatal and postnatal care, immunizations, cervical and breast cancer screenings and more; and,
• Ensures there is no reduction in overall federal funding available to support women’s health.