Musk and Ramaswamy promise to defund Planned Parenthood in government efficiency push 

Newly minted government efficiency czars Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy have promised to axe the $300 million subsidy the federal government gives abortion provider Planned Parenthood.  

In an op ed published in the Wall Street Journal, the pair of entrepreneurs tapped by Trump to cut waste in the federal budget said that some programs, such as Planned Parenthood, aren’t authorized by Congress.  

“If the spending isn’t authorized, then we shouldn’t be spending it,” Ramaswamy added on X. “That shouldn’t be controversial.” 

While not attacking abortion directly, the plan to cut these so-called “Zombie” spending programs unauthorized by Congress would force abortion proponents to make the case that the federal government should be funding abortions.   

Polls over the years show Americans strongly oppose the use of tax dollars for abortions.   

A recent poll by the Catholic Knights of Columbus and Marist shows that 53% of Americans oppose using taxes to pay for abortions. 

Judging by the reaction from Planned Parenthood, the abortion mill is taking the threat by Musk and Ramaswamy seriously.  

Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, blasted the cuts in a statement, calling Musk and Ramaswamy “unqualified fanboys and agents of chaos.”  

Planned Parenthood also said Americans have reacted to the election of Trump by scheduling 1200% more vasectomy appointments; 760% more IUD appointments; 350% more birth control implants and 140% more appointments for transexual medical.  

But if those numbers were meant to sway Musk, they are off the mark.  

Musk has long been an opponent of declining fertility rates and encourages government to do more to encourage people to have more children.   

In a post on X, Lila Rose, head of the prolife group Live Action called the op ed by Musk and Ramaswamy “Amazing.” 

The Hyde Amendment already theoretically bans federal funding for abortion services, but that hasn’t stopped President Joe Biden from increasing the amount of support sent to Planned Parenthood.  

Live Action reports that in fiscal year 2023, Planned Parenthood received nearly $700 million from the government, accounting for about one-third of its $2 billion in revenue.  

Those federal subsidies helped the non-profit actually bank a profit of $178.6 million, adding to their net assets of $2.9 billion, the highest recorded in recent years. 

And that excess allowed the abortion provider to spend almost $15 million on campaign contributions, lobbying efforts and outside spending on elections in 2024, according to data provided by Open Secrets.  

In 2023, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R–Colorado, introduced legislation that would impose a moratorium on federal funding of Planned Parenthood until the non-profit certified that they did not provide any abortions.  

That bill is still in the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.  

The threat by Musk and Ramaswamy to cut abortion funding aligns with promises the Trump campaign made during the 2024 election cycle.  

“What we said is we don’t want taxpayer funding for abortions, and that, of course, has been a bipartisan approach over 40 years in this country, until, frankly, Kamala Harris came along,” Vice President-elect J.D. Vance said prior to the election when asked about defunding Planned Parenthood.  

LifeNews.com recently listed the seven ways the first Trump administration tried to defund Planned Parenthood in Trump’s first term and suggested that a second Trump presidency will try again.   

The plan by Musk and Ramaswamy will just give the administration an eighth way to dry up the federal funding of the country’s top abortion doctors.