The Trump administration has frozen millions of dollars in federal funding allocated to Planned Parenthood and other organizations under the Title X family planning program. The decision halts $27.5 million in grants that support essential healthcare services for low-income individuals, including contraception, cancer screenings, and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing.

Planned Parenthood, which operates over 300 health centers across the U.S., warned that the funding cut could lead to widespread consequences. Alexis McGill Johnson, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, stated that the freeze would result in undiagnosed cancers, reduced access to contraception, and an exacerbation of the nation’s STI crisis. Title X-funded clinics accounted for more than 1.5 million patient visits in 2023 alone.

The funding suspension will disproportionately affect states like Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Utah, where Title X allocations have been entirely eliminated. Other states, including Pennsylvania and Minnesota, face significant reductions. 

The move aligns with longstanding conservative efforts to defund Planned Parenthood due to its association with abortion services, despite federal regulations prohibiting taxpayer dollars from funding most abortion procedures. The freeze fulfills a key objective of “Project 2025.”

Public opinion polls consistently show strong bipartisan support for Planned Parenthood’s work, with nearly 77% of Americans opposing efforts to cut its funding.

The funding freeze comes as the Supreme Court prepares to hear a related case on Wednesday involving South Carolina’s attempt to exclude Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program. The case could have far-reaching implications for Medicaid patients’ ability to choose their healthcare providers and for states’ authority to direct public funds away from organizations that provide abortion services.

In South Carolina alone, where Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood amounts to $90,000 annually, many counties already face severe shortages of primary care providers.

Planned Parenthood and other affected organizations are expected to challenge the funding freeze in court. Meanwhile, healthcare providers and advocacy groups are bracing for the potential fallout as low-income patients lose access to affordable care.