Wisconsin considers major election overhaul through ranked choice voting proposal
A bipartisan bill that would dramatically change how Wisconsin residents choose congressional candidates by asking them to rank their top choices instead of voting for one of two candidates is headed for its first public hearing. The state Senate’s election committee was set to take public comment on a proposal Tuesday that would implement a ranked choice system known as final five. Under that system, voters would rank their top five candidates from all parties rather than just the top Democratic and Republican contenders. The hearing is the first for the complicated plan that would drastically change in how Wisconsin voters pick their representatives in Washington. “The aim of Final Five Voting is not to change who gets elected; it is designed to change the incentives of those who do get elected,” the bill’s chief authors — Republican Reps. Ron Tusler and Tony Kurtz, Democratic Rep. Daniel Riemer, Republican Sen. Jesse James and Democratic Sen. Jeff Smith — said in a memo seeking co-sponsors. “Officials elected under Final Five Voting — having been elected by and held accountable to the general electorate — are freed up to deliver solutions that meet our country’s complex challenges.” TOP WI REPUBLICAN DECLARES END TO FINANCIAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH STATE UNIVERSITY The bill would implement a form of ranked choice voting in which all candidates for a U.S. House or Senate seat would appear together on a primary ballot regardless of their party, with the top five finishers advancing to the general election. Right now Republicans and Democrats run on separate ballots in partisan primaries. Voters would rank the five primary winners in order of preference on general election ballots. If a candidate receives a majority of first-place votes, they win. If no one gets a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and anyone who had that person as their first choice instead has their vote go to their second ranked choice. That process continues until one candidate has a majority of votes. Right now candidates can win a seat without a majority. WI REPUBLICAN PROSECUTOR PLANS APPEAL IN STATE ABORTION CASE A bipartisan group of 21 lawmakers has signed onto the bill as co-sponsors. Maine adopted a ranked choice system in 2016 for all federal elections and state primaries. Alaska went to a ranked choice system for state and federal races in 2020. No other state has adopted it, although three counties and 45 cities across the nation use it for local elections, according to FairVote. Voters in Nevada passed a ballot question last year to implement ranked choice; it must pass again in 2024 to take effect. Advocates say a ranked choice system offers voters more choices and reduces negative campaigning since candidates need to appeal to as broad a swath of voters as possible to win second- and third-place marks. They also insist the system gives third-party and independent candidates a better chance. Opponents say the system is difficult to understand and that the results would be difficult to count. They also argue that the approach equates to giving an elector multiple votes in the same election, flying in the face of the “one person, one vote” philosophy. Wisconsin legislators have introduced the proposal in each of the last two legislative sessions, but it each time it went nowhere. WISCONSIN GOP LEADER DOWNPLAYS PRESSURE TO IMPEACH NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS CZAR This time around, Republican opponents are on the offensive, pushing a constitutional amendment that would outlaw ranked choice voting. The state’s election systems are already difficult to understand and ranked choice would make things even more complex, they argue. Multiple rounds of tabulation would slow the release of results and voters would be forced to guess at which candidates would be left standing after each elimination round, they added. Special interests could develop strategies to manipulate rankings and results, they warned. “At a time when many Wisconsinites are asking the Legislature to simplify the mechanics of our election system, ranked-choice voting would further complicate it with calculations that dictate outcomes that are not intuitive to every voter,” the Republicans who authored the amendment, Sen. Duey Stroebel and Reps. Ty Bodden, Chanz Green and Joy Goeben wrote in a co-sponsorship memo. Britt Cudaback, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, didn’t immediately respond to a message inquiring about whether the governor supports ranked-choice voting.
President Biden tells crowd ‘I am a Zionist’ at Hanukkah ceremony, condemns silence on antisemitism
President Biden hosted a Hanukkah celebration on Monday at the White House, where he condemned the rise of antisemitism during the Israel-Hamas war as “sickening.” In remarks in front of Jewish lawmakers and other attendees, Biden harshly criticized those who remain silent in the face of antisemitism and reiterated his longstanding support for Israel. “I got in trouble, got criticized very badly by the southern part of my state and some of the southern parts of the country, when 35 years ago I said, ‘You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist. And I am a Zionist,’” Biden said. The president described Hanukkah as a “timeless story of miracles,” a celebration of survival and hope. “But we know this year’s Hanukkah is different,” he said, acknowledging the ongoing war in Gaza. RABBI QUITS HARVARD’S ANTISEMITISM TASK FORCE AFTER PRESIDENT’S ‘PAINFUL’ TESTIMONY TO CONGRESS The White House event, which was held on the fifth night of Hanukkah, welcomed Holocaust survivors and members of the Jewish community to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other prominent Jewish lawmakers attended, as did second gentleman Doug Emhoff, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This year’s holiday comes two months after Hamas launched a savage terrorist attack on Israel, infiltrating the country on Oct. 7 and killing more than 1,200 Israelis, mostly civilians. It was the largest mass slaughter of Jews in a single day since the Holocaust. Israel declared war on Hamas, and thousands of Palestinians have since been killed in the crossfire in Gaza. Israel has come under fierce international condemnation for the high numbers of civilian casualties, although the Biden administration has firmly supported the Jewish state’s right to self-defense. Groups that track antisemitism have reported a widespread increase in anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incidents globally since the start of the war. Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached an all-time high record in the two-month period since the start of the war, according to data released by the Anti-Defamation League on Monday. The group recorded 2,031 antisemitic incidents between Oct. 7 and Dec. 7, up from 465 incidents during the same period in 2022 — a 337% increase, the ADL said. TWO TEENAGE GIRLS ARRESTED IN BRUTAL BEATING OF JEWISH WOMAN IN SUSPECTED HATE CRIME Those include 40 incidents of physical assault, 337 incidents of vandalism, 749 incidents of verbal or written harassment and 905 rallies including antisemitic rhetoric, expressions of support for terrorism against the state of Israel and/or anti-Zionism. Since Oct. 7, American Jews have experienced an average of 34 antisemitic incidents per day, according to the ADL. “This terrifying pattern of antisemitic attacks has been relentless since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, with no signs of diminishing,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “The lid to the sewers is off, and Jewish communities all across the country are being inundated with hate. Public officials and college leaders must turn down the temperature and take clear action to show this behavior is unacceptable to prevent more violence.” Biden said that “silence is complicity” in the face of such hate and reaffirmed his “unshakable” commitment to safety and security of Israel. WOKE COLLEGE’S ‘PROFESSOR OF PEACE’ OUSTED OVER ALLEGED WAR CRIMES, ANTISEMITISM AND SEXUAL MISCONDUCT At the same time, the president said the United States “will continue to lead the world on humanitarian assistance to innocent Palestinians” and emphasized to Israel the importance of protecting civilian lives. “Let me be clear: Hamas using rape, sexual violence and terrorism and torture of Israeli women and girls is appalling and unforgivable. And I was there, saw some of the photographs, and it’s beyond comprehension,” the president continued. “We all have to condemn such brutality without equivocation and without exception.” Addressing Jewish members of the audience, Biden said, “I also recognize your hurt from the silence and the fear for your safety, because the scourge of antisemitism in the United States of America and around the world is sickening. You know, we see it across communities in schools and colleges and social media.” Last week, the presidents of Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology came under fire for their congressional testimony on antisemitism. Confronted by Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., during a House hearing, the presidents declined to outright condemn calls for Jewish genocide by pro-Palestinian protesters as hateful conduct in violation of their university policies. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The subsequent backlash to their testimony led to the resignation of Penn President Liz Magill, although the governing boards of Harvard and MIT stood behind Presidents Claudia Gay and Sally Kornbluth, respectively. Biden said antisemitic incidents visible on college campuses and on social media “surface painful scars for millennia.”
Trump holds slim lead over Biden as RFK Jr. acts as spoiler for Democrats: poll
Former President Donald Trump holds a marginal lead over President Biden in a straight national matchup, according to a new poll. The Monday poll from Reuters/Ipsos found that Trump leads Biden 38% to 36% in a head-to-head matchup, though a sizable 26% stated that they weren’t sure or supported another candidate. Meanwhile, the poll also found that a third-party candidacy by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. could serve as an effective spoiler against Biden. When RFK’s candidacy was factored into the poll, Trump’s lead over Biden grew to 5%. Trump’s overall support dropped to 36%, but Biden’s fell to 31%, with RFK Jr. taking 16% of the vote. Reuters conducted the poll from Dec. 5-11, surveying 4,411 U.S. adults across the nation via online questioning. HEAD HERE TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POLLING The survey also matched up with recent polling on Americans’ distaste for both Biden and Trump more generally, often citing the candidates’ ages. Roughly 60% of respondents to the Reuters poll stated that they were dissatisfied with the binary option and wanted a third choice. BIDEN FACES A BIGGER POLLING DEFICIT NOW THAT OBAMA DID A YEAR BEFORE THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Biden has consistently fallen behind Trump in national polling in recent weeks. Trump led Biden 47% to 43% in a hypothetical head-to-head match and led 37% to 31% in a hypothetical ballot with five independent candidates, according to the results of a Wall Street Journal poll released Saturday. The president’s sagging numbers against Trump also come as voters give Biden low approval marks, including only 23% of respondents saying Biden’s policies have helped them personally, compared to 53% who say they have been hurt by the president’s policies. THESE SIX BATTLEGROUND STATES COULD COST BIDEN THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2024 Biden’s team, however, has attempted to spin the grim numbers as effectively as possible. “Predictions more than a year out tend to look a little different a year later,” Biden campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said last month. “Don’t take our word for it: Gallup predicted an eight-point loss for President Obama, only for him to win handily a year later.” Reuters and Fox News’ Michael Lee and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report
Antisemitic sign hung outside Michigan Republican congressman’s district office
An antisemitic sign was hung outside the office of an outspoken pro-Israel congressman from Michigan. Michigan Republican Rep. Tim Walberg, a former Christian pastor, issued a news release on Monday saying an antisemitic sign had been posted on a tree outside his office window. The sign depicted Uncle Sam removing his American stovepipe hat to reveal a kippah – or yarmulke – with a Star of David underneath reading “Jew u$ury buy$ USA pols” (sic). GOP LAWMAKER SAYS PRO-ISRAEL SIGN AT DC OFFICE DEFACED WITH BLOODY HANDPRINTS “Our once great nation’s downfall,” the sign continues over a U.S. flag with the stars replaced by the Israeli flag. “Solution: name the Jew.” The antisemitic sign also included a link to a conspiracy website. Walberg’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the antisemitic sign was hung on a tree on the sidewalk in front of the office. The congressman’s staff was able to take pictures of the tree through their office window. In a news release, Walberg said that antisemitism “continues to sweep across the world, and sadly, it is alive in Michigan.” “This crisis reflects a lack of morality and genuine education,” Walberg said. “Nowhere was this more clear than last week, when some of the most prominent names in academia’s leadership displayed utter moral cowardice but also a broader systemic failure in higher education.” “One in five young Americans now think the Holocaust was a myth, and significantly more think it’s been exaggerated,” he continued. “Unfortunately, in part due to a failure of truthful and honest education, this type of incident has become common.” “We need to make it rare again,” the Michigan Republican added. “We need to not only call out this bigotry when it occurs but examine the root causes and eliminate it.” ‘SNL’ MOCKING STEFANIK INSTEAD OF COLLEGE PRESIDENTS WAS ‘A COMPLETE BREAKDOWN OF COMEDY’ This is not the first time Walberg’s office has been hit with anti-Israel vandalism. Walberg’s office revealed in October that his “I stand with Israel” sign was defaced, with the congressman declaring, “Antisemitism has run rampant across the country.” “This is yet another despicable act which should not be tolerated,” the former pastor said in a press release. “At a time like this, we must think of our Jewish community members, including those on my staff, who are enduring this targeted behavior and harassment following the largest attack on Jews since the Holocaust,” he continued. Walberg’s office told Fox News Digital the sign had been put up earlier this week, and that the congressman had tweeted about standing with Israel after the country was attacked by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, sparking a war. The Michigan Republican’s office said the congressman employs Jewish staff members and believes the vandalism is unacceptable.
Sens Vance, Hawley, Lee demand answers on ‘concerning’ diversity contracts at Energy Dept, NASA
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, is demanding answers from the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) over potential contracts with someone they called an “incendiary racial theorist.” A letter to DOE and NASA secretaries on Tuesday, also signed by Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., argues that BWG Solutions — a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) consulting agency — “promote[s] racial hatred and violence.” Vance said if the agencies are clients of BWG Solutions, it is “gravely concerning.” SEN. JD VANCE SENDS SCATHING LETTER TO OHIO STATE DEMANDING ACTION AGAINST DEI INITIATIVES According to BWG CEO Janice Gassam Asare’s website, NASA and the DOE are clients of the firm along with Fortune 500 companies like Google and Amazon. One of Gassam Asare’s books, titled “Decentering Whiteness in the Workplace: A Guide for Equity and Inclusion,” focuses on the different ways “whiteness” has seeped into the corporate workplace. In Vance’s letter, he claims Gassam Asare coined the term “white perversion.” According to Vance’s letter, Gassam Asare has praised the 1970 Marin County Civic Center attack by members of the Black Panther Party, labeling it an “empowering” and “inspiring” example of “Slave Rebellion.” The attack ended with the killing of Judge Harold Haley by several activists. JD VANCE IN LETTER TO BIDEN ADMIN ACCUSES WAPO WRITER OF ENCOURAGING ‘OPEN REBELLION’ AGAINST US The letter also claims Gassam Asare criticizes White people collectively for possessing the “white gaze,” enabling them to control societal norms and operations. Additionally, the letter argues, she advocates for employers to provide “micro-reparations” to Black employees, suggesting benefits such as pay raises and promotions solely based on race. “For obvious reasons, our government should have nothing to do with either Janice Gassam Asare or her consulting business,” Vance wrote. “Her retention by a federal agency might even run afoul of federal civil rights law, which holds that workplace ‘diversity’ and ‘harassment’ training can give rise to a hostile work environment.” By Jan. 12, the senators are seeking information from DOE and NASA regarding payments or contracts with Gassam Asare or BWG Business Solutions. Specifically, lawmakers want details about any services provided, confirmation or denial of Gassam Asare’s claims of being a client of the DOE and NASA, whether these services were reported to Congress and steps taken to verify the absence of any business relationship. JD VANCE FURIOUS OVER FORBES ARTICLE ON HOW TO ‘DECENTER WHITENESS,’ WILL INVESTIGATE AUTHOR’S DEI FIRM The letter also asks for an explanation of how any trainings offered by Gassam Asare or her organization comply with federal law which prohibits the use of federal funds for trainings likely to “induce high levels of emotional response or psychological stress in some participants.” Vance has been doubling down on his tirade against DEI initiatives in American institutions. Last week, he also published on social media an open letter to the incoming president of Ohio State University, urging the new administrator to abandon “diversity, equity and inclusion” mandates. Vance, an alumnus of Ohio State, accused the school of using racial justice rhetoric to mask “racial hatred” in its hiring of personnel and curricula. Fox News has reached out to Gassam Asare, the DOE and NASA for comment. Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.
N.H. Gov Sununu to endorse Haley’s 2024 Republican presidential bid -Washington Post
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu plans to endorse Nikki Haley for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the decision.
Release of Wall Street Journal reporter top priority for Biden -White House
The release of detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich is a top priority for President Joe Biden, his national security adviser said on Tuesday.
Left-wing group ‘defrauding’ consumers with ‘pro-Nazi’ smear of Elon Musk: Republican state AG
Missouri Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey has taken aim at Media Matters for America amid the liberal group’s dispute with Elon Musk, owner of X, formerly Twitter. Bailey on Monday sent a letter to the progressive media watchdog group to alert it to his opening of an investigation into the firm for “potentially unlawful business practices.” Media Matters in November published a report of sorts that said X would place ads next to “pro-Nazi” content. Elon Musk filed a lawsuit against Media Matters, saying the group falsely and deceptively manipulated the algorithm on X “through coordinated, inauthentic behavior” in an attempt to “defame the organization and cause advertisers to pull their support from the platform, thus harming free speech,” Bailey notes in his letter. Bailey said that in addition to what Musk alleges in his lawsuit, Bailey has reason to believe that Media Matters violated Missouri consumer protection laws, including laws that prohibit nonprofit entities from soliciting funds under false pretenses. NRA FINDS SURPRISING ALLY IN ACLU FOR SUPREME COURT CHALLENGE TO NY BLACKLIST ALLEGATION “I am especially concerned that Media Matters’ actions, if proven true, have hampered free speech by targeting an expressly pro-free speech social media platform in an attempt to cause it financial harm while defrauding Missourians in the process,” Bailey said. After Media Matters published its report, companies like IBM, Disney, Apple, Sony, Walmart, among others, pulled their advertisements from the social media platform. CRUZ: BIDEN ADMIN FUNNELED TAXPAYER CASH TO UNIVERSITIES FOR ‘MISINFORMATION’ RESEARCH TO ‘CENSOR’ AMERICANS According to Bailey, Musk’s lawsuit alleges that Media Matters “lied to the public, falsely suggesting that fringe, extremist content regularly appears next to content from corporate advertisers when in fact the opposite is true.” FBI INTERVIEWED PRIEST, CHURCH CHOIR DIRECTOR AHEAD OF ANTI-CATHOLIC MEMO, HOUSE GOP FINDS “At the same time, you appear to have used this coordinated, inauthentic activity to solicit charitable donations from consumers across the country,” he said. In light of his probe, Bailey instructed Media Matters to preserve all records that relate to an “alleged effort to engage in coordinated, inauthentic behavior on social media platforms in order to generate false statements that were used to solicit charitable contributions under false pretenses.” “Be advised that any failure to preserve documents of probative value to this case, even if inadvertent, will constitute spoliation of evidence and may result in a finding of contempt from the court or in sanctions,” Bailey said. Media Matters did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by time of publication.
Montana county official faces removal of oversight duties after expressing doubts on election integrity
Commissioners in a Montana county are expected to vote Tuesday on whether to remove election oversight duties from a clerk and recorder who expressed doubts about the integrity of the election process when she ran for office last year. The Cascade County commission meeting was moved to the fairgrounds in Great Falls to accommodate the anticipated public participation. If the resolution passes, it would take effect immediately. Commissioner Joe Briggs proposed the resolution, noting that since Sandra Merchant was sworn in early this year, the county has received complaints about the way several local elections have been run. Lawsuits have been filed. The library board asked for court-appointed oversight for their mill levy election this summer. REPUBLICANS UNLEASH EFFORT FORCING BIDEN ADMIN TO HOLD OIL AND GAS LEASE SALES “It’s been everything from people not getting ballots that should have to people who got ballots that shouldn’t have in these various elections, so there seems to be some systemic problems,” Briggs said Monday. The issue needs to be settled before next year’s general election, Briggs said. “We need to get all of the issues identified and fixed before we get in to federal elections, because they do have broad ramifications,” Briggs said. Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Tester is seeking reelection in a race that could help determine the majority party in the Senate, two U.S. House races will be on the ballot along with all the major statewide elected races, including governor. ‘TOUGHEST UPHILL CLIMB’: RACE FORECASTER REVEALS SHIFT TOWARD GOP IN TOP 2024 SENATE RACE The resolution proposes that that election oversight be removed from the clerk and recorder’s office and be assumed by the county commission, which would appoint an election administrator. State law allows for the change and a handful of Montana’s 56 counties have done so. During the 2022 campaign for clerk and recorder, some Republicans asked the county commission to ask Democratic clerk Rina Fontana Moore to recuse herself from administrating the election since she was on the ballot, Briggs said. She declined to step down temporarily and Briggs proposed taking election duties away from the clerk and recorder’s office. However none of the other two commission members would second his motion. Merchant defeated Moore by fewer than 40 votes in November 2022, months after the Republican-controlled state Legislature passed several laws it said were needed to improve election security. However, courts rejected those laws, saying the state brought no proof of the alleged widespread voter fraud the laws sought to eliminate. Before Merchant took office, Briggs again moved to transfer the election duties to a non-elected administrator and again, nobody else supported him. All three commissioners are Republicans. Things changed, however, as elections took place this year. “It went from being basically a structural issue of someone in charge of an election should not be on the ballot to broader questions about how things are being conducted here that didn’t exist previously,” Briggs said. Merchant said after she took office, experienced employees in the elections department left without teaching her how to do the job. She argues Briggs’ motion is disenfranchising the people who voted for her to run elections. “They weren’t electing somebody to take care of the records in the other office, they voted for me because of elections and now their votes are being thrown out,” Merchant said Monday. Merchant campaigned on election integrity, supported opening up ballot tabulators to make sure they could not be connected to the internet and advocated hand counting of ballots as former President Trump brought baseless allegations that there was widespread fraud that cost him the 2020 election. Merchant has not suggested opening tabulators or going to hand counts since she’s been elected, Briggs said. In the resolution, Briggs wrote that the county recently spent $200,000 on ballot tabulators and “has received persistent criticism and concerns from certain members of the public who are politically aligned to the currently elected Clerk and Recorder that the county’s … tabulators are Wi-Fi connected, capable of being manipulated by foreign governments or other nefarious actors, and that the only way to remove such fears is for Cascade County to open the tabulators for public inspection.” MONTANA DRAG BAN CHALLENGED AS COALITION SEEKS FEDERAL JUDGE’S DECLARATION OF UNCONSTITUTIONALITY However, doing so would void warranties and render the tabulators worthless, he said. Merchant argues Briggs is playing politics with her job. “If you’re in the same party you should be supporting each other and working together and that has not happened,” she said. Briggs said he made the motion to remove partisan politics from elections administration and finds it a little ironic that it was Republicans who sought the change last year when a Democrat was in office and Republicans who oppose the change now. “From my standpoint, if you tout something because it’s the right way to do to it, then it’s the right way to do it, regardless of whether there’s a Republican or Democrat in office,” Briggs said.
Planned Parenthood received $90 million in PPP loans during COVID-19 pandemic
Planned Parenthood affiliates received $90 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans meant for small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the Government Accountability office (GAO) released Tuesday morning. The PPP loans were designed to bail out small independent businesses with less than 500 employees. But pro-life advocates raised concerns with the Small Business Administration — an independent government agency that supports entrepreneurs — and argued that Planned Parenthood has more than 16,000 employees across the country, well above the cutoff to be considered a small business. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., one of the lawmakers who requested the report in January 2022, called the findings “appalling.” PLANNED PARENTHOOD ANNOUNCES RETURN OF ABORTION IN WISCONSIN AFTER KEY COURT RULING “While small businesses struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic, Planned Parenthood illegally siphoned over $90 million from the Paycheck Protection Program, specifically designed to help our mom and pop shops keep their doors open,” Blackburn said in a statement. She added, “The American people want their tax dollars spent responsibly and in line with our nation’s values — not on the Left’s abortion-on-demand agenda.” The report, also requested by New Jersey state Sen. Chris Smith, outlined federal funding received by several major pro-abortion organizations between 2019 and 2021 amounting to nearly $2 billion. Smith said the PPP loans were “money that could have gone to struggling small businesses, many of which were forced to close.” “This money would have been better spent helping the businesses that were forced to close or providing comprehensive medical support for both women and children,” Smith told Fox News Digital in a statement. Aside from the PPP loans, government sources that funneled funds to the organization included Medicaid, Medicare, and Children’s Health Insurance Program reimbursements, along with federal funding through grants and cooperative agreements amounting to $148.5 million. Between 2019 and 2021, Planned Parenthood obtained $1.78 billion in government funding and executed one million abortion procedures, while International Planned Parenthood Federation received $2.03 million, MSI Reproductive Choices received $1.35 million, and four regional abortion providers got $107.74 million in funding. PSAKI REPEATS CLAIM THAT DEMS DON’T SUPPORT ABORTION UNTIL BIRTH: ‘ENTIRELY MISLEADING’ The report noted that in 2019, Planned Parenthood, under the Trump Administration’s Protect Life Rule, declined Title X funding — a federal grant program that provides funding for family planning and reproductive health services — due to the rule’s stipulation against abortion referrals and demanded financial separation from abortion providers. The GAO found that Planned Parenthood’s refusal to comply and forfeit its Title X funding “led almost all affiliates to discontinue using family planning grants under Title X” during 2020 and 2021. From 2019 to 2021, Planned Parenthood conducted 1.11 million abortions while obtaining around $1.78 billion in federal funding, equating to an average of $592 million annually, according to the report. Planned Parenthood operates over 600 health centers across the United States. Fox News Digital reached out to Planned Parenthood for comment.