The US federal government has suspended$ 27.5 million in family planning grants while investigating whether recipient organizations, including multiple Planned Parenthood affiliates, are complying with legal requirements.
The funding freeze affects services such as contraception, cancer screenings and sexually transmitted infection (STI ) testing, particularly for low-income communities.
As per the media company Associated Press, 16 agencies were notified of the money wait on Monday, including all Title X grant recipients in seven states—California, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, and Utah. At least 11 Planned Parenthood local sponsors are among those impacted.
The US department of health and human services ( HHS) has not disclosed which laws or executive orders are under scrutiny, though some letters cited civil rights violations.
Planned Parenthood, a long-standing goal of conservative politicians, has strongly criticized the selection. ” We know what happens when health care providers may apply Title X funding”, said Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund. ” Citizens across the country suffer, cancers go unrecognized, exposure to birth control is significantly reduced, and the nation’s STI problems worsens”, Johnson added.
According to Reuters, HHS said the freeze is part of an evaluation to ensure grant recipients comply with federal law and that taxpayer funds are used responsibly. The department is undergoing extensive layoffs, but officials emphasized that no final decisions have been made regarding spending changes for Planned Parenthood.
Mississippi, one of the affected states, has a near-total abortion ban and opponents of the funding freeze argue that the move will further limit access to essential reproductive health care.
George Hill, president of Maine Family Planning, said the organization may seek legal action. ” The administration’s dangerous decision to withhold Maine Family Planning’s Title X funds jeopardizes access to critical health care services for thousands of Mainers”, Hill said.
According to Reuters, Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which serves Missouri, Oklahoma, and Kansas, also denounced the funding halt. ” They want to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers to appease their anti-abortion backers, and they’re willing to take away birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment to get their way”, said CEO Emily Wales.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the freeze was implemented under an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump, titled” Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders”, though the specific connection remains unclear.
Trump has appointed billionaire Elon Musk to lead the DOGE ( Department of Government Efficiency ) aimed at cutting government spending, a move critics say is fueling aggressive funding reductions.
Planned Parenthood notes that more than 300 health centers nationwide operate within the Title X network, with over 1.5 million patient visits recorded in 2023. While federal law prohibits taxpayer money from directly funding most abortions, conservatives have long sought to eliminate Planned Parenthood’s government funding due to its abortion services.
