House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) announced plans to target major funding cuts for organizations like Planned Parenthood and PBS, aligning with a broader conservative fiscal agenda as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House in January. Johnson’s comments came during an appearance on Fox News’s The Story with Martha MacCallum, where he discussed the vision for the next administration and his legislative priorities.
Johnson emphasized the importance of “building consensus” in Congress to achieve these cuts. “Now, some of this will be done by executive order out of the White House. [President Trump] has broad authority to do a lot of that,” Johnson explained. “But where Congress is involved, that’s where it takes the hard work of legislating and getting everybody on the same page.”
The Louisiana congressman suggested that significant reforms would unfold gradually, with more details to come in January.
A cornerstone of Johnson’s strategy is the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to be led by entrepreneur Elon Musk and Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. DOGE aims to streamline government spending and target wasteful programs.
“Here we have what I think is a generational opportunity to make real transformational change to the administrative state,” Johnson said. “We want to take a blowtorch to the regulatory state, and I think what Elon and Vivek have in mind can help us in that regard.”
In a recent op-ed for The Wall Street Journal, Musk and Ramaswamy outlined their goals for DOGE, which include addressing over $500 billion in unauthorized federal expenditures. Key targets include the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds PBS, and taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood, which received $699.3 million in government support last year.
Planned Parenthood’s latest financial report reveals the organization received 34% of its revenue from taxpayer funds through government grants, contracts, and Medicaid reimbursements. Since 2010, its taxpayer funding has risen by 43%, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute, a pro-life research group.
Despite receiving nearly $2.1 billion in revenue in 2023, Planned Parenthood has faced increasing scrutiny from conservatives who highlight its growing reliance on abortion services. In its 2021-2022 fiscal year, the organization performed 392,716 abortions—a 5% increase from the previous year and a 20% increase over the past decade.
An analysis by the Charlotte Lozier Institute noted that abortion accounted for 97.1% of Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy resolution services, with other services like prenatal care, miscarriage support, and adoption referrals making up less than 3%.
At the same time, Planned Parenthood’s private contributions rose by 44% to $997.5 million, showcasing its robust donor support despite declining demand for non-abortion services, which have dropped by 17%.
Planned Parenthood’s financial practices have also drawn criticism, particularly regarding executive compensation. A 2023 report by STOPP International revealed that total compensation for Planned Parenthood affiliate CEOs increased from $13.3 million in 2015 to $16.8 million in 2020—a 26.3% jump. The average CEO’s pay rose by 33.4%, reaching $317,564 annually.
Critics argue these figures undermine Planned Parenthood’s public image as a nonprofit focused on healthcare access.
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds PBS and NPR, is also a target for cuts. CPB receives approximately $535 million annually from federal appropriations, a figure Johnson and DOGE see as unnecessary in an era of abundant private media options.
Supporters of public broadcasting argue that CPB funding ensures access to educational and cultural programming in rural and underserved areas. However, conservatives like Johnson view such expenditures as emblematic of bloated federal budgets.
Johnson framed the push to defund Planned Parenthood and PBS as part of a larger effort to shrink the federal government. “This is part of preparing the playbook to unleash and unroll in January,” he told MacCallum.
The initiative also aligns with President-elect Trump’s promise to reduce government spending and limit funding for organizations that promote progressive agendas. Johnson’s remarks highlight the balancing act required to implement these cuts, as legislative victories will depend on building a coalition within the Republican-controlled Congress.
As Johnson and his team prepare for the upcoming administration, they remain focused on securing the votes needed to enact sweeping changes. Whether these efforts will succeed remains uncertain, but the stakes are high for organizations like Planned Parenthood and PBS.
For now, Johnson and DOGE are setting the stage for what could be one of the most significant overhauls of federal spending in decades.
Good idea.PBS is another Democrat propaganda outlet so let the Democrats pat them with their own money.PP is another money suc king evil institution dead set on abortions in the Black communities.That was Margaret Sangers work.