Trump admin cuts tens of millions from Planned Parenthood

Nine state affiliates of Planned Parenthood, which receive funding through the long-standing Title X family planning program, were notified that their grants are being temporarily withheld due to alleged violations of federal civil rights laws and executive orders issued by President Donald Trump. These orders prohibit the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and restrict the use of federal funds for organizations that assist undocumented immigrants.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cited the clinics' mission statements and other public materials emphasizing support for Black communities as potential evidence of noncompliance. Additionally, HHS criticized Planned Parenthood for providing healthcare to undocumented individuals, claiming the organization actively encourages such patients to seek services. The affected affiliates have 10 days to respond and demonstrate compliance, after which HHS will decide whether to continue, suspend, or terminate their grants.

One of the impacted affiliates, Planned Parenthood of Great Northwest, Hawaiʻi, Alaska, Indiana, and Kentucky, which operates 33 clinics across six states, warned that this funding loss could significantly hinder access to healthcare for many individuals. CEO Rebecca Gibron stated that the cuts would lead to higher healthcare costs or prevent people from receiving care altogether. She accused the administration of attempting to shut down Planned Parenthood centers to satisfy anti-abortion supporters.

Other Title X providers have also seen their funding reduced or eliminated entirely, with some receiving less than half of the funds they initially requested. HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon confirmed that payments to 16 Title X providers, including the nine Planned Parenthood affiliates, are being withheld pending a review. He stated that the freeze impacts approximately $27.5 million of the program's $200 million annual budget.

Clare Coleman, CEO of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, criticized the administration's approach, arguing that these groups are now being penalized for following Biden-era policies, which prioritized health equity at the time they submitted their funding applications. She contended that if the administration wanted to enforce new priorities, it should have allowed applicants an opportunity to amend their submissions rather than immediately withholding funds.

Gibron also accused the administration of deliberately creating confusion and uncertainty, suggesting that the decision to bypass the formal rulemaking process—which allows for public input—was undemocratic and possibly unlawful.

Health policy experts warn that these funding cuts could have a more severe impact than those imposed during Trump’s first term, particularly since the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade eliminated federal protections for abortion rights.

During his previous administration, Trump implemented restrictions on Title X funding, banning clinics from referring patients for abortion services and requiring them to maintain separate facilities for abortion-related care. These regulations also permitted faith-based organizations that do not provide contraception to receive Title X funds.

As a result, over a dozen grantees, including 11 state health departments and all Planned Parenthood affiliates, withdrew from the program. By 2019, the Title X network served 844,083 fewer patients than the previous year, with significant declines in access to birth control, including:

The Biden administration reversed Trump’s Title X policies in 2021, but Coleman argues that the program still has not fully recovered. HHS’s 2023 audit found that the program currently serves about 2.8 million people, significantly lower than the 4 million patients it served annually before Trump first took office in 2017.