Shapiro Challenges Trump Admin's Decision to Politicize Repro Health Care Funds | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, PA - Today, Governor Josh Shapiro sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over its attempt to restrict federal funding for reproductive health care and family planning services. In July, the Trump Administration announced new terms and conditions on Title X grants for the 2027-2032 grant cycle, attempting to restrict access to reproductive health care in order advance the Trump Administration's political agenda.

The lawsuit seeks to stop the unlawful implementation of conditions that require applicants and grantees to demonstrate "alignment" and "ongoing compliance" with the Trump Administration's political priorities in order to apply for federal family planning dollars appropriated under Title X of the Public Health Service Act - ultimately undermining the program's purpose and governing regulations.

"The Trump Administration has repeatedly and consistently worked to restrict access to reproductive health care - and now the federal government is trying to politicize federal funds used to promote public health and safety," said Governor Shapiro. "I've made very clear that I will do everything in my power to ensure that every Pennsylvanian has access to the health care services they need. So long as I'm Governor, I will continue using my authority to fight for this critical funding and protect access to these services."

For over 50 years, Title X has been the only federal funding stream dedicated to providing low-income, uninsured, or underinsured individuals with access to critical and comprehensive family planning services, including lifesaving cervical cancer testing; testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections that preserve health and long-term fertility and prevent community spread; and contraception and fertility care that empowers individuals to have children if, when, and how they choose.

Still, the Trump Administration attached its political agenda to this critical funding. Among HHS' new conditions to receive this funding are requirements to end programs that encourage health equity or serve the needs of transgender and intersex individuals; end "overmedicalization," a category that HHS indicates includes hormonal contraception; safeguard "life-affirming" program delivery; adopt directive counseling that pushes patients towards parenthood and marriage; and advance other political priorities that are irrelevant to Title X.

As a result, Pennsylvania's Title X programs must either commit to rebuild from the ground up to conform to the Trump Administration's political conditions - contrary to the core purpose of Title X core and in possible violation of the law - or submit funding applications based on their existing, compliant programming and risk rejection for failing to satisfy the federal government's political agenda. Under either option, Pennsylvanians will suffer as the Commonwealth would be unable to fill the critical funding gap left behind and ultimately curtail services or shutter clinics - depriving many low-income residents of these crucial services.

The lawsuit challenges the new grant conditions for exceeding the federal government's authority and directly contradicting Title X's purpose, statute, and outlined regulations, which require that awarded services are provided in an inclusive and equitable manner, prohibit discrimination based on gender identity or marital status, and encourage participation from "diverse persons."

Since taking office, the Governor has fought to protect Pennsylvanians' access to family planning services and care:

• In February 2023, within weeks of taking office, Governor Shapiro joined a Reproductive Freedom Alliance with 23 other governors to safeguard abortion access, protect abortion providers, and affirm abortion rights. The Governor maintained former-Governor Tom Wolf's executive order ensuring that non-Pennsylvania residents seeking abortion care in Pennsylvania can do so without fear of being arrested or detained at the request of another state.

• In August 2023, the Shapiro Administration announced it was ending the Commonwealth's contract with Real Alternatives, an organization that used deceptive practices to mislead women during an emotionally-vulnerable time. Under the Department of Human Services (DHS), Pennsylvania now operates the Women's Service Program, which uses a regional set up to support pregnant women in an empathetic, culturally-informed way no matter their background, identity, or income.

• In July 2024, the Governor reaffirmed his commitment to equitable access to reproductive health care and advised the Commonwealth Court that DHS could not defend the state law banning Medicaid coverage for most abortion services.
  • In April 2026, the Commonwealth Court ruled in favor of the Administration's position when it recognized a fundamental right to reproductive autonomy and found that under Pennsylvania law, a state ban on Medicaid coverage for most instances of abortion care is unconstitutional.

• In September 2024, the Shapiro Administration increased reimbursement rates paid to providers for both preventive and reproductive health care services. The Governor secured an increase in the rates DHS pays for family planning services, and further notched a win when DHS was able to increase Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement rates for abortion services to better reflect the cost of administering services and align Pennsylvania with what other states pay. Pennsylvania's reimbursement rates to providers hadn't seen a significant update since the early 1990s.

• In August 2025, Governor Shapiro joined a coalition of states in filing a petition with the FDA to defend the safety and efficacy of mifepristone and push for greater access.

• In May 2026, the Governor joined a multistate amicus brief urging reversal of a federal appeals court decision that restricted access to medication abortion - which accounts for over 60 percent of all abortions - by blocking the mailing of mifepristone prescriptions.

Despite the Trump Administration's repeated attempts to politicize and condition Pennsylvanians' access to critical health care, Governor Shapiro will continue standing up against the overreach of the federal government, protecting Pennsylvanians' access to reproductive health care and family planning services.

The lawsuit is led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell, and in addition to Governor Shapiro, is being joined by California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin, as well as Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear.