Clinics start shutting down as Trump administration maintains hold on family planning funds
Since April 1, dozens of medical providers have faced challenges in maintaining operations due to the withholding of over $65 million allocated for the Title X family planning program.
TroibNews 
Clinics nationwide that offer contraception and other reproductive health services to low-income patients are facing significant funding challenges as they await updates from the Trump administration regarding tens of millions of dollars in grants frozen last month.
Medical providers spanning from California to Maine, including nine Planned Parenthood affiliates, have been struggling to maintain operations since more than $65 million for the Title X family planning program was put on hold on April 1. The Trump administration indicated that this funding freeze was part of an effort to enforce executive orders related to diversity and immigration. Federal officials allowed the organizations 10 days to submit comprehensive documentation demonstrating that they do not engage in discriminatory practices in hiring or patient care. However, those who adhered to the timeline reported a lack of response.
“It’s been radio silence,” stated Sarah Stoesz, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood’s Utah chapter. “For some inexplicable reason, they are taking a meat axe to the healthcare system in America.”
Utah is one of seven states that have lost all Title X funding, joining California, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana. The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, representing most Title X grantees, estimates that around 846,000 patients could lose access to critical services if this funding is not reinstated.
The Trump administration has not provided any information regarding the status of the frozen funds.
Some affected health providers are contemplating legal action while others are reaching out to state legislatures and private donors to fill the gap left by the missing federal funding. Furthermore, some clinics, having depleted their emergency resources, are forced to close.
In Utah, two of the eight Planned Parenthood health centers located in rural areas will shut down at the end of this month due to the Trump administration’s freezing of $2.8 million in anticipated Title X funds. These clinics, situated near Idaho and Arizona, have catered to approximately 4,500 patients in 2024.
While Utah’s Planned Parenthood affiliate aims to continue serving some patients via telehealth, others may have to travel more than 100 miles to access the nearest physical family planning clinic for in-person services. Additionally, due to the funding freeze, the organization is cutting staff and raising its sliding scale fees for low-income patients at its remaining clinics in Utah.
“The impact is going to be particularly brutal in red states that don’t have a local government that is ready to step up and help support family planning services,” remarked Shireen Ghorbani, interim president of the organization. “And our county health departments and regional health departments do not always have the capacity, and, in fact, often refer patients to Planned Parenthood for STI testing. So we anticipate that people will defer care or just not receive the care that they need.”
The Trump administration is also withholding nearly $2 million from Maine Family Planning, which supports 60 clinics statewide, due to what CEO George Hill referred to as “DEIA-related concerns.” This funding represents about 20 percent of the organization’s annual budget, and Hill emphasized that losing these funds “will have consequences,” especially in a rural state where alternative care options may be limited.
“If the funds dry out and we're unable to replace them, clinics will close. Access will be denied. And a lot of people are simply not going to get contraception if they have to get in the car and drive two hours away,” he predicted. “It's gonna be painful, and I resent it deeply.”
In addition to the total withholding of tens of millions in grants due to alleged violations of Trump's executive orders and federal laws, the administration has issued partial grants to some Title X providers, which they report are insufficient to sustain services.
Every Body Texas, a nonprofit supporting over 150 Title X clinics in the state, received $7 million earlier this month, which is less than half of the nearly $15.4 million they received from the program last year. CEO Kristie Bardell described the funding cut as “a major blow” and cautioned that without further financial support, they may need to reduce services for their more than 180,000 patients. Texas has the highest number of uninsured individuals in the U.S., and Bardell noted that the demand for free and subsidized family planning services has reached unprecedented levels.
“When reproductive health care disappears, cancer goes undetected, rates of unintended pregnancy and STIs rise, and the health gap grows wider,” she cautioned. “We’re risking decades of public health progress — and people’s lives.”
Even if the expected funds are released soon, the relief may only be short-lived. A draft budget document obtained by PMG revealed that the Trump administration is contemplating the elimination of Title X, as well as other family planning initiatives like the HHS' Teen Pregnancy Prevention program.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
Medical providers spanning from California to Maine, including nine Planned Parenthood affiliates, have been struggling to maintain operations since more than $65 million for the Title X family planning program was put on hold on April 1. The Trump administration indicated that this funding freeze was part of an effort to enforce executive orders related to diversity and immigration. Federal officials allowed the organizations 10 days to submit comprehensive documentation demonstrating that they do not engage in discriminatory practices in hiring or patient care. However, those who adhered to the timeline reported a lack of response.
“It’s been radio silence,” stated Sarah Stoesz, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood’s Utah chapter. “For some inexplicable reason, they are taking a meat axe to the healthcare system in America.”
Utah is one of seven states that have lost all Title X funding, joining California, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana. The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, representing most Title X grantees, estimates that around 846,000 patients could lose access to critical services if this funding is not reinstated.
The Trump administration has not provided any information regarding the status of the frozen funds.
Some affected health providers are contemplating legal action while others are reaching out to state legislatures and private donors to fill the gap left by the missing federal funding. Furthermore, some clinics, having depleted their emergency resources, are forced to close.
In Utah, two of the eight Planned Parenthood health centers located in rural areas will shut down at the end of this month due to the Trump administration’s freezing of $2.8 million in anticipated Title X funds. These clinics, situated near Idaho and Arizona, have catered to approximately 4,500 patients in 2024.
While Utah’s Planned Parenthood affiliate aims to continue serving some patients via telehealth, others may have to travel more than 100 miles to access the nearest physical family planning clinic for in-person services. Additionally, due to the funding freeze, the organization is cutting staff and raising its sliding scale fees for low-income patients at its remaining clinics in Utah.
“The impact is going to be particularly brutal in red states that don’t have a local government that is ready to step up and help support family planning services,” remarked Shireen Ghorbani, interim president of the organization. “And our county health departments and regional health departments do not always have the capacity, and, in fact, often refer patients to Planned Parenthood for STI testing. So we anticipate that people will defer care or just not receive the care that they need.”
The Trump administration is also withholding nearly $2 million from Maine Family Planning, which supports 60 clinics statewide, due to what CEO George Hill referred to as “DEIA-related concerns.” This funding represents about 20 percent of the organization’s annual budget, and Hill emphasized that losing these funds “will have consequences,” especially in a rural state where alternative care options may be limited.
“If the funds dry out and we're unable to replace them, clinics will close. Access will be denied. And a lot of people are simply not going to get contraception if they have to get in the car and drive two hours away,” he predicted. “It's gonna be painful, and I resent it deeply.”
In addition to the total withholding of tens of millions in grants due to alleged violations of Trump's executive orders and federal laws, the administration has issued partial grants to some Title X providers, which they report are insufficient to sustain services.
Every Body Texas, a nonprofit supporting over 150 Title X clinics in the state, received $7 million earlier this month, which is less than half of the nearly $15.4 million they received from the program last year. CEO Kristie Bardell described the funding cut as “a major blow” and cautioned that without further financial support, they may need to reduce services for their more than 180,000 patients. Texas has the highest number of uninsured individuals in the U.S., and Bardell noted that the demand for free and subsidized family planning services has reached unprecedented levels.
“When reproductive health care disappears, cancer goes undetected, rates of unintended pregnancy and STIs rise, and the health gap grows wider,” she cautioned. “We’re risking decades of public health progress — and people’s lives.”
Even if the expected funds are released soon, the relief may only be short-lived. A draft budget document obtained by PMG revealed that the Trump administration is contemplating the elimination of Title X, as well as other family planning initiatives like the HHS' Teen Pregnancy Prevention program.
Sophie Wagner for TROIB News
