According to Reuters, Planned Parenthood announced on Monday that the Trump administration intends to cease federal family planning funding starting Tuesday. This decision will impact services such as birth control, cancer screenings, and other vital resources for low-income individuals.
Nine Planned Parenthood affiliates were notified that their funding under the Title X program, which has been supporting healthcare services for the underserved since 1970, would be cut off. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reportedly plans to immediately freeze $27.5 million in family planning grants, including those allocated to Planned Parenthood, as per a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Planned Parenthood operates over 300 health centers within the Title X network, which facilitated more than 1.5 million visits in 2023. The exact amount of funding to be halted by the Trump administration was not disclosed by the organization.
Requests for comments from the White House and HHS in response to Reuters’ inquiry were left unanswered. An HHS spokesperson previously mentioned that the department was reviewing grant recipients to ensure compliance with President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, expressed concerns that the funding cut would lead to undetected cancers, decreased access to birth control, and a rise in sexually transmitted infections. McGill Johnson criticized President Trump and his ally Elon Musk for prioritizing their political agenda over people’s healthcare needs.
President Trump recently appointed billionaire Elon Musk to spearhead an initiative aimed at reducing government spending. Planned Parenthood has faced calls for defunding from conservatives due to its provision of abortion services. However, federal funding for nearly all abortions has been prohibited since 1977.
This report was filed by Daniel Trotta and edited by Caitlin Webber and Leslie Adler.
