Texas Congressman helps spearhead efforts into Planned Parenthood probe

Staunch Pro-Life Representative Pete Olson (R-Sugar Land) joined two other members of Congress in spearheading efforts to investigate the United States abortion industry.
 
More than 70 members of Congress signed a letter urging the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to delve deeper into the federal dollars received by Planned Parenthood and others who commit abortions. 
 
The request calls for the GAO to determine and investigate which abortion providers receive federal funds and how the money that has been allocated to them is being used.
 
Current federal law prohibits federal tax dollars to be used for elective abortions, but when an abortion business like Planned Parenthood receives federal tax money to the tune of a half-million dollars a year, a look into the services being funded is not unwarranted. 
 
In the letter to the GAO, the following were requested: The amount of federal funding each of the organizations providing abortion receives, from which agencies, grants, and programs the funds originated (i.e. Medicaid and Title X) and exactly how the funds were disbursed. 
 
The study also calls for the GAO to inform the public how many County Health Centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers there are and exactly what health services they provide.
 
“Relying on the promise of openness and transparency often mentioned by the current Administration, it is our hope that the requested information be updated and made available to Congress and the public.  Proper oversight of publicly funded programs is crucial in determining the value of the goods and services provided to the taxpayer, and allow policymakers to more carefully and thoroughly review them,” the letter stated. 
 
Congressman Olson gave a statement on his involvement in the efforts: 
 
The last GAO report that my colleagues and I requested showed that Planned Parenthood and similar groups received almost a billion in taxpayer dollars over a seven year period,” Rep. Olson said.  “This new report is critically needed to shine a bright light on how taxpayer funds are allocated.
 
Federal tax dollars are legally prohibited from being used for abortions.  Under our constitution, the Obama Administration has a duty to enforce these laws.  And under that same constitution, Congress has a duty to ensure that the executive branch follows the law of the land,” Olson added.
 
Planned Parenthood is a billion dollar corporation that supports its business and, subsequently the killing of unborn children, on the backs of the American taxpayer.  The time has come for the government to rethink the commitment to Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry and to focus on the needs of American women — not promulgating the abortion agenda.
 
Other Texas delegates who signed onto the request include Joe Barton (R-Arlington), Kevin Brady (R-The Woodlands), Randy Neugebauer (R-Lubbock), Ted Poe (R-Houston), Randy Weber (R-Pearland), Blake Farenthold (R-Corpus Christi), Bill Flores (R-Waco), Sam Johnson (R-Plano), and Ralph Hall (R-Rockwall).