Trump Plans Deep Cuts To Planned Parenthood | EUROtoday

The Trump administration is planning to freeze thousands and thousands in federal household planning grants, a transfer that would considerably hinder operations at organizations together with Planned Parenthood, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

The Health and Human Services Department is seeking to pause funds distributed underneath Title X, a federal program devoted to offering family-planning companies without cost or discounted costs to about 4 million low-income Americans yearly. Planned Parenthood is traditionally one of many largest Title X suppliers, with greater than 300 of their 600 well being facilities collaborating within the federal program.

The Journal reported that HHS is pausing $120 million in Title X grants for sure organizations, together with Planned Parenthood, whereas the division investigates whether or not the federal {dollars} have been used for DEI efforts — a transfer that’s a part of a broader marketing campaign to intestine all federal initiatives for range, fairness and inclusion.

HHS confirmed to HuffPost that the division is planning a direct freeze of $27.5 million in Title X grants. ”HHS is reviewing all Title X grant recipients to ensure they adjust to Federal regulation and President Trump’s government orders,” an HHS spokesperson stated.

The division has not made any ultimate selections on funding cuts for Planned Parenthood, in accordance with an HHS official.

“This is blackmail. President Trump and Elon Musk are holding Planned Parenthood patients hostage by slashing funds from birth control providers who receive Title X grants,” Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, instructed HuffPost in an emailed assertion.

None of Planned Parenthood’s associates have obtained a discover of any funding cuts as of Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the group instructed HuffPost. Around a dozen Planned Parenthood clinics obtained almost $21 million in Title X household planning grants in 2024.

“The Trump-Vance-Musk administration wants to shut down Planned Parenthood health centers by any means necessary, and they’ll end people’s access to birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, and more to do it,” McGill Johnson stated. “This is shameful yet unsurprising — and we won’t let it happen without a fight.”

Republicans have been making an attempt to defund Planned Parenthood for many years, and the occasion has discovered renewed vitality since Roe v. Wade fell and Trump returned to the White House. The anti-abortion administration has made it clear that considered one of their prime priorities is to slash federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Since Roe fell, Planned Parenthood clinics have struggled financiallyhowever freezing household planning grants might make a tricky state of affairs worse since half of Planned Parenthood clinics are funded partially by Title X.

“Organizations like Planned Parenthood are already really strapped because they are trying to provide so many health care services to Americans,” Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), co-chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, instructed HuffPost on Wednesday morning. “The demand for family planning has skyrocketed, so if you take away $120 billion or more, then that is going to directly impact Americans’ ability to get birth control.”

Despite GOP rhetoric, Title X funding doesn’t go towards abortions as a result of federal funding for abortion care is against the law underneath the Hyde Amendment. However, that cash does cowl different important well being care corresponding to contraception, prevention and therapy of sexually transmitted illnesses and breast most cancers screenings.

Title X, created in 1970 underneath President Richard Nixon, is arguably extra important than ever earlier than as a result of the repeal of federal abortion protections has shuttered many rural reproductive well being care clinics and pressured extra individuals to remain pregnant.

“It’s clear Trump and Elon [Musk] couldn’t care less how many people suffer, whose cancer goes undetected, or if women can no longer afford birth control as a result of their deranged mission to attack anything they deem DEI,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) stated in an announcement.

“Fundamentally, we are talking about the Trump administration cutting off very basic and lifesaving health care,” she stated. “Title X has long had bipartisan support and I hope every one of my colleagues who support basic, cost-saving family planning services will speak out against this illegal hijacking of lifesaving funding women across America are counting on for health care.”

On Wednesday, someday after The Wall Street Journal revealed its report, over 150 nationwide anti-choice organizations despatched a letter to members of Congress calling to “defund big abortion.” The letter, riddled with misinformation, focuses solely on defunding Planned Parenthood as a result of it supplies abortion care.

“I’ve been the co-chair of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus for many years, and people didn’t believe me when I said they [far-right Republicans] are opposed to abortion, but they are also opposed to birth control,” DeGette instructed HuffPost. “It is such an extreme position, but it is the position that the far right holds.”

“The sooner we grapple with that, the sooner Americans are going to be able to understand what’s really going on here.”

This article has been up to date to incorporate a remark from HHS.