Democratic Women’s Caucus Leaders Press Kennedy to Unfreeze Title X Funding, Restore Access to Critical Reproductive Care, Meet with Providers

Members express outrage at Trump administration claims that Title X is frozen because it is DEI, stating "A federal program's ability to provide care to people from historically marginalized and underserved communities does not make it wrong or illegal"

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Democratic Women's Caucus Reproductive Health Care Task Force Chair & Liaison Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28), Reproductive Freedom Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette (CO-01) & Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Democratic Women's Caucus Chair Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Reproductive Freedom Caucus Vice Chair & Whip Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), author of the Expanding Access to Family Planning ActRep. Sharice Davids (KS-03), and Democratic Women's Caucus Chief Whip Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05) sent a lettersigned by 155 other House Members urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore all appropriated funding for Title X providers and coordinate an urgent meeting on the matter. The Trump administration's attack on Title X is yet another attack on women and reproductive health care.

Title X, the nation's only federal program dedicated to family planning, allows low-income, uninsured, or underinsured individuals to receive critical health care from a diverse network of providers. Title X health centers served 2.8 million people in FY 2023, administering high-quality family planning and sexual health care, including cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, contraceptive services and supplies, pregnancy testing, and other essential health care services. In the letter, the Members ask Sec. Kennedy to immediately unfreeze funds for federal programs:

"We urge you to restore all appropriated funding for Title X providers and instead invest fully in the program which has helped people access essential health care for almost 50 years. On behalf of our 2.8 million constituents and women across the country who depend on Title X's services, we also request a prompt reply to coordinate a meeting on this matter. We look forward to introducing you to the providers, community leaders, and patients from our districts who understand better than anyone else the importance of this program. We hope your agency will not be so reckless as to upend nearly half a century of bipartisan achievement and place Title X on the DOGE chopping block without hearing firsthand the consequences of that action."

The Members also expressed their outrage at reports that the funding is frozen due to claims that it might support "diversity, equity, and inclusion." The Members explained:

"This is another way of saying that this program is used to help people of color access care. Nearly half of the people served each year by Title X are people of color, the vast majority are people with low-incomes and most Title X users are women. A federal program's ability to provide care to people from historically marginalized and underserved communities does not make it wrong or illegal. To suggest otherwise implies that HHS would determine who is worthy of taxpayer dollars based on the color of their skin. Congress created Title X to address the needs of underserved populations across our country, regardless of background, and it has demonstrated success in doing so for 50 years."

Click hereto access the full letter.