Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is spearheading an effort in Congress to hold the Small Business Administration (SBA) accountable for reportedly sending federal funds to Planned Parenthood through Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
“The Small Business Administration has been illegally giving taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood entities across America, and on Tuesday, I led the minority members of the Small Business Committee in standing united in opposition to allowing a vote on the SBA’s nominee for Deputy Administrator until the Administration takes action to recover the wrongfully acquired funds,” Sen. Paul said in a statement to The Daily Wire. “I think Democrats know it is illegal to give small business loans to the big business, that is Planned Parenthood, but they are completely in the tank for taxpayer funded abortions.”
In a joint statement, the Senate Small Business Committee (SBC) said, “The SBA has wrongfully approved nearly $100 million in taxpayer funded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to Planned Parenthood branches across the country. On June 30th alone, SBA approved four PPP loans to Planned Parenthood affiliates despite a determination from the last Administration that these entities were ineligible for the program. We will not allow a vote on this nominee until the SBA takes action to recover the wrongfully acquired PPP funds by Planned Parenthood entities.”
“We will not allow a vote on SBA’s nominee for Deputy Administrator until the SBA takes action to recover the wrongfully acquired PPP funds by Planned Parenthood entities,” the GOP SBC tweeted.
We will not allow a vote on SBA’s nominee for Deputy Administrator until the SBA takes action to recover the wrongfully acquired PPP funds by Planned Parenthood entities. pic.twitter.com/mHeBiL0OKy
— Senate Small Biz (@SmallBizCmteGOP) September 20, 2021
With the GOP pushing to derail Dilawar Syed’s nomination to the Small Business Administration as a consequence, Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) accused Republicans of “playing politics.”
“Senate Republicans continue to play politics with the recovery of our nation’s small businesses and are refusing to show up and do their jobs. I urge my colleagues to put the recovery over politics and vote on [Dilawar Syed’s] nomination to the Small Businesses Administration,” he tweeted.
Senate Republicans continue to play politics with the recovery of our nation’s small businesses and are refusing to show up and do their jobs. I urge my colleagues to put the recovery over politics and vote on @Dilawar Syed’s nomination to the Small Businesses Administration.
— Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) September 21, 2021
However, according to Matt Whitlock, Markey was guilty of “not showing up.”
“This ‘shaming people for not showing up’ only works if you show up yourself,” Whitlock tweeted. “Markey is attacking Republicans for not attending a hearing … that he didn’t even attend.”
“What a joke,” he added.
This “shaming people for not showing up” only works if you show up yourself.
Markey is attacking Republicans for not attending a hearing … that he didn’t even attend.
What a joke. https://t.co/M9vGx9vewe
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) September 21, 2021
Ironically, while Markey accused Republicans of playing politics and not showing up, it was Markey who failed to show up to the vote. Democrats who were so concerned with the nomination did not have a quorum.
According to Sen. Paul’s office, a timeline of sixteen loans to Planned Parenthood include $10,000,000 to Planned Parenthood of Greater New York on May 14, 2021, $3,548,987 to Planned Parenthood of Southern New England on February 12, 2021, and $1,900,000 to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas on April 15, 2021.
Dilawar Syed was nominated by President Joe Biden to be the deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration in March, and his nomination is currently pending before the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee.