Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued the following statement in response to reports that the Trump administration plans to freeze tens of millions of dollars in federal Title X family planning grants for Planned Parenthood and other organizations in the U.S. that support critical family planning efforts and preventive health care including cancer screenings, pregnancy testing, birth control, treatment of sexually transmitted infections, and infertility services, among much else.
“By illegally freezing tens of millions of dollars that help women get cancer screenings, birth control and pregnancy tests, prevent and treat STIs, and more, this administration is putting women’s lives at risk yet again and ripping away the ability of women with the tightest budgets to get the basic reproductive health care they need to control their lives and futures. It’s clear Trump and Elon 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—no matter the consequences to real people’s lives, and no matter the fact that this administration can’t even define DEI.
“Fundamentally, we are talking about the Trump administration cutting off very basic and lifesaving health care. 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.”
Senator Murray has consistently fought to strengthen and preserve the Title X program, and was a vocal critic of the first Trump Administration’s Title X gag rule and countless other efforts to undermine reproductive health care. Early in 2019, Senator Murray released a memo highlighting some of the negative impacts of the rule and comments from patients, providers, city and county officials, and religious organizations submitted in opposition. Senator Murray is also a longtime leader in the fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care and abortion rights, and she has led Congressional efforts to fight back after the Supreme Court’s disastrous decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Murray has introduced more than a dozen pieces of legislation to protect reproductive rights from further attacks, protect providers, and help ensure women get the care they need; Murray has led efforts to push for passage of these bills on the floor multiple times. Murray also led her colleagues in raising the alarm about the threat a second Trump administration poses to reproductive rights and abortion access in every state, as outlined in Project 2025.
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