More than 120 Republican lawmakers are formally demanding that the Department of Health and Human Services open an investigation into Planned Parenthood's use of federal tax dollars, according to an exclusive report from Fox News Politics.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., are leading a bicameral coalition of 128 House and Senate Republicans in a letter to HHS Inspector General T. March Bell, requesting a sweeping review of whether Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates have complied with federal law and the terms of their taxpayer-funded grants, contracts, and sub-awards.
"We write to request that the Office of Inspector General (OIG) review and, if appropriate, initiate an investigation into the activities of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. and the organization's affiliates," the lawmakers wrote, per the Fox News Politics report.
The request asks the watchdog to determine whether evidence exists of fraud, waste, abuse, misrepresentation, or other violations affecting federal health programs — and, if misconduct is uncovered, to pursue consequences ranging from administrative remedies and suspension to exclusion from federal healthcare programs or referrals to other authorities.
Fox News flagged the effort on social media Tuesday afternoon. "Republican lawmakers are putting Planned Parenthood's federal funding under the microscope," the network's account posted. "A coalition of 128 House and Senate Republicans is asking the HHS Inspector General to conduct a broad review of taxpayer dollars going to Planned Parenthood and its affiliates."
The move arrives as the Small Business Administration continues its own review of whether Planned Parenthood affiliates improperly received $88 million in pandemic-era loans. The lawmakers cited that SBA action in their letter, characterizing it as an investigation into whether affiliates "illegally received" the funds. The SBA has described its action as a review of whether the affiliates were eligible for the loans — the review itself is not a finding that the affiliates violated the law.
Smith, who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, said the scrutiny was "long overdue," pointing to allegations involving federal funding, reporting requirements, sexual exploitation, and fetal tissue. "It is long overdue for a comprehensive investigation and review, and I urge the HHS OIG to look closely," Smith said, according to Fox News Politics.
Lankford framed the request as a basic accountability exercise. "Planned Parenthood and its affiliates have faced serious allegations involving the use of federal funds and compliance with federal law. Those allegations deserve a thorough review," he said. "The HHS Inspector General should follow the facts, determine whether federal laws and funding requirements have been violated, and hold accountable anyone who has misused taxpayer dollars."
An HHS-OIG spokesperson told Fox News Politics the office has not yet received the letter, adding it "will review it for appropriate action once received."
Planned Parenthood Federation of America did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Politics on the letter, and no public statement from the organization appears to have been issued as of Tuesday.
The timing matters. Planned Parenthood receives hundreds of millions in federal dollars annually, primarily through Medicaid reimbursements and Title X family planning grants, making it one of the largest recipients of taxpayer funding in the reproductive health space. Under the current Republican-controlled Congress and the Trump-Vance administration, that funding stream has faced renewed scrutiny at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.
For the 128 signatories, the letter is a pressure test: will a federal watchdog act on an allegation set that has circulated for years in congressional oversight letters, state audits, and undercover journalism projects — or will it sit on the request? The OIG's response, once the letter lands, will be the first concrete signal.
What happens next: if the OIG opens a review, it can compel documents, audit grant compliance, and refer findings for criminal prosecution. If it declines, the lawmakers have signaled they will keep pressing — and the SBA review into the $88 million in loans is still separate and ongoing.
Our Take
Here's the part the legacy media won't lead with: 128 Republican lawmakers just signed their names to a document asking one simple question — where did the money go?
That's it. That's the ask. Not a ban. Not a raid. A review. An audit. The same thing any American small business owner faces when the IRS comes knocking, except this time it's aimed at an organization that has pulled down hundreds of millions in taxpayer cash for decades while operating with something close to immunity from federal oversight.
Planned Parenthood's defenders will call this an attack on women's health. But you can't defend a funding stream you refuse to audit. And when you're taking federal dollars, you don't get to decide which laws apply to you. That's not a pro-life argument or a pro-choice argument — that's just the basic deal every contractor, every nonprofit, every hospital, and every state agency signs when it takes Uncle Sam's money.
The SBA review into $88 million in pandemic loans is the tell. If the affiliates were eligible, show the paperwork. If they weren't, the taxpayers deserve to know why they were cut a check.
Patriots, this is what oversight looks like when Congress actually does its job. Call your representatives and ask them one thing: are you one of the 128? If not, why not?
