Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst claimed on Tuesday that the Biden administration had discussed giving COVID-era forgivable loans to Planned Parenthood — and potentially concealed their activities from scrutiny with the codeword “Benghazi.”
The lawmaker posted a thread on social media showing Small Business Administration officials discussing the plans via email in 2021.
The SBA’s senior attorney messaged the agency’s chief of staff to ask for a meeting on “Benghazi (Planned Parenthood).”
The chief of staff responded by saying, “Yes, let’s talk Benghazi.”
Ernst said she asked the Justice Department to discuss the codeword as a possible record concealment, which would violate federal law.
What’s Benghazi have to do with Planned Parenthood?
I’ve asked @TheJusticeDept to investigate why Biden’s top SBA officials concealed their Planned Parenthood loan discussions with the codeword “Benghazi.”
If codewords were used to evade congressional oversight into $90+… pic.twitter.com/1Oh8Ejt2Uf
— Joni Ernst (@SenJoniErnst) April 28, 2026
The SBA ultimately gave $90 million to Planned Parenthood in the form of forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans, as noted by The Christian Post.
The loans were meant to help small businesses keep their employees on payroll during COVID shutdowns.
“If code words were used to evade congressional oversight into $90+ million in COVID-era loans to a top Biden political ally, there must be accountability!” Ernst said.
Ernst further added that using the term “Benghazi” — a major city in Libya — “likely evaded congressional inquiries.”
Benghazi was also the site of a 2012 Islamic terror attack that resulted in the murder of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Hillary Clinton, then serving as Secretary of State, received criticism from Republicans for her handling of the crisis.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler has also voiced concern about the use of the federal money by Planned Parenthood, which performed a record 434,000 abortions between 2023 and 2024.
She sent letters earlier this year to 38 Planned Parenthood Federation of America affiliates “requiring them to produce documentation proving they were eligible” to receive the funds.
“At the height of the pandemic, affiliates of Planned Parenthood took $88 million in taxpayer dollars to fund their abortion-on-demand agenda — and the Biden Administration made sure they got nearly every cent forgiven, even after the first Trump Administration protested,” Loeffler said.
“Six years later, the Trump SBA holds the same conviction: Planned Parenthood Federation of America was never eligible to receive a dime in pandemic-era relief from taxpayers,” she added.
“As part of the review underway, not only will we expose the Planned Parenthood affiliates who took advantage of the American people — we will take every necessary step to force every bad actor to pay them back.”
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
The post Report: Biden Admin Hid Planned Parenthood Loan Discussions Using Code Word ‘Benghazi’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.