Painted into a corner: Trump admin forks over millions in family planning funds withheld from Planned Parenthood

The Trump administration sent tens of millions of federal dollars to Planned Parenthood in December to settle a lawsuit, which was dismissed Tuesday.

“This was a move that I think the administration kind of painted themselves into a corner on, based on the way that they tried to restrict the funding early in the administration’s time in office,” Ethics and Public Policy Center Fellow Patrick T. Brown told The Lion.

The Department of Health and Human Services froze roughly $65.8 million of Title X family planning funds in April to review whether recipients used these taxpayer dollars for diversity, equity and inclusion policies, Catholic Vote reported. Title X funds support “services related to achieving pregnancy, preventing pregnancy, and assisting women, men, and couples with achieving their desired number and spacing of children,” according to HHS. 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued HHS in April on behalf of the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, arguing the withholding of these funds is illegal. HHS withheld the funds before amending Biden-era policies, the Daily Signal reported.  

“If you don’t follow the proper order of operations, then you open yourself up to these kinds of lawsuits,” Brown said. “And unfortunately, the odds were very high that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU were going to win,” he said, explaining how losing this lawsuit could “trip up future efforts.” 

Tom McClusky, director of government affairs at CatholicVote, told The Daily Signal fighting the lawsuit could have put other attempts to cut funds at risk. 

“Even worse, continuing the litigation would have entangled any future funding cuts – which are highly likely under the new regulations – in prolonged court battles before an unsympathetic judge,” McClusky said. 

The Trump administration, however, could have restored the Protect Life Rule – passed in Trump’s first term and revoked under Biden – that prevented counselors under Title X from referencing or encouraging abortion, McClusky told The Daily Signal.  

“From what I understand, they could have very easily picked up the rule from the first administration and run with it. For whatever reason, they did not,” Brown said. “I think there was, frankly, a lot going on in those first couple months, and there’s a lot of enthusiasm around the anti-DEI policies, and so I think that this got swept up in that enthusiasm, rather than thinking about this from a more strategic point of view.” 

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro told the court Dec. 19 the grants had been restored and recommended ACLU drop the case, reported Politico, which broke the story on Tuesday, the day the case was dismissed. 

Planned Parenthood Association of Utah (PPAU) received $2 million in Title X funds Jan. 9, according to its press release. Two Planned Parenthoods in Utah closed in 2025 due to the lack of funds, the press release said. 

The Title X funds are completely distinct from Medicaid funds, withheld from Planned Parenthood under the Big Beautiful Bill that Trump signed into law July 4. Planned Parenthood announced 20 locations have closed nationwide since then, due to the lack of Medicaid and Title X funds, according to a November press release.  

Previously, Planned Parenthood received more than $700 million in taxpayer dollars annually, according to the same press release. While Planned Parenthood claims to provide vital services to women, the organization serves only 2% of American women of reproductive age, according to Live Action. The organization also carries out more than 1,100 abortions a day. 

Title X funds don’t fund abortions, Brown said, due to the protection from The Hyde Amendment, which forbids taxpayer dollars from directly supporting the practice. The federal funds, however, support other Planned Parenthood services such as STD testing, allowing the company to designate more dollars to abortion, Brown explained, saying “money is fungible.” 

However, paying the frozen funds and ending the lawsuit allows the administration to implement a “more permanent” policy in a formal and legal manner, Brown said. 

“By sort of losing this battle, in a strategic way, they kept their options open for the future, and then it’s up to pro-lifers to put pressure on them to do the right thing,” he said, including restricting chemical abortion drugs. 

Pro-life voters should also advocate for increased support for pregnant women, Brown said, explaining how many women need immediate funds for diapers, car seats and formula. 

Title X funds may also be able to be harnessed from a pro-life perspective:  

“Planning doesn’t just include avoiding; it should be achieving as well,” Brown said. “Thinking more broadly about what family planning could mean, I think very well could look like providing more resources to pregnancy resource centers.”