Conservatives rage over re-funding of Planned Parenthood
Source: Politico
07/04/2026 02:00 PM EDT
Planned Parenthood’s beleaguered network of clinics will regain access to hundreds of millions in Medicaid funding this weekend — the fallout of Republicans’ failure to pass an extension of the one-year defunding provision they approved last year.
Starting July 5, clinics around the country can once again bill the federal program for reimbursement after providing non-abortion services, like birth control and screenings for sexually-transmitted infections, to low-income patients. Though other funding threats loom, it’s a lifeline for the struggling organization, which has closed nearly 30 health centers nationwide that collectively served more than 40,000 patients since the defunding provision in the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act took effect in July 2025.
Conservative lawmakers and activists are furious with GOP leadership for prioritizing other issues in the summer’s budget battles — including immigration and military spending — over keeping taxpayer dollars out of Planned Parenthood’s hands. In recent weeks, they have sent a barrage of angry letters to Capitol Hill, pressured the White House to intervene, and picketed outside the RNC headquarters in Washington.
Leaders of the anti-abortion movement say the restoration of taxpayer resources to one of the right’s longtime nemeses is an even bigger blow to voters’ morale than their other grievances with the Trump administration, such as its inaction on abortion pills, because they view it as backsliding on something already achieved.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/07/04/planned-parenthood-abortion-medicaid-congress-00985879
= new reply since forum marked as read
