Feds Block Trump Plan To Cut Medicaid Funds to Planned Parenthood
A federal judge on Tuesday halted President Donald Trump’s effort to stop Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in 22 states. The decision blocked enforcement of a Republican-backed measure designed to curtail taxpayer support for abortion providers indirectly through Medicaid reimbursements.
As established by the court, while the Hyde Amendment explicitly forbids direct use of Medicaid funds for abortions, federal reimbursements for other services have long helped sustain Planned Parenthood’s broader operations nationwide. This fight continues a decades-long legal conflict dating back to 1976 when Congress first adopted the Hyde Amendment—a restriction later upheld by the Supreme Court in Harris v. McRae—but only prevented states from forcing Medicaid coverage; it did not stop funding for non-abortion services outright.
Despite the amendment’s limits, federal reimbursements under both Democratic and Republican administrations have been allowed to cover Planned Parenthood’s other medical services. This practice was repeatedly criticized by conservative lawmakers during congressional testimony over concerns that such funds indirectly bolstered the organization’s abortion infrastructure.
The latest ruling aligns with a significant legal shift following June’s Supreme Court decision in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which barred Medicaid recipients from suing states to challenge funding restrictions for Planned Parenthood and other providers within the program—a move reflecting post-Dobbs jurisprudence aimed at returning abortion regulations more firmly under state control.
Legal analysts suggest it is highly probable that Trump administration officials will seek a broader review by the Supreme Court to definitively rule on whether states possess authority over Medicaid funds allocated specifically to support Planned Parenthood and similar groups.
