Clinics Shut Down as Title X Funds Remain Frozen

Clinics across the U.S. are closing or cutting services after the Trump administration froze more than $65 million in Title X family planning funds, leaving low-income patients without access to critical reproductive care, Politico reported.

Medical providers from California to Maine are struggling to stay open following the April 1 freeze of federal Title X grants.

The Trump administration said the pause aims to enforce executive orders on diversity and immigration, requiring providers to show they don't discriminate in hiring or patient care. Although many submitted the requested documentation, they haven't received a response.

"It's been radio silence,” said Sarah Stoesz, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood Association of Utah. "For some inexplicable reason, they are taking a meat axe to the healthcare system in America."

Utah is among seven states — California, Hawaii, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, and Montana — to lose all Title X funding. The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association estimates that 846,000 patients may lose access to care if the funding isn't restored.

The Trump administration has not responded to questions about the funding status.

Some affected providers seek legal help, while others ask state legislatures or private donors to replace the lost funds. But many are shutting down due to depleted reserves.

In Utah, two of the eight Planned Parenthood clinics will close by the end of the month after $2.8 million in Title X funds were frozen. The clinics — near the Idaho and Arizona borders — served about 4,500 patients last year. While Planned Parenthood will continue some services via telehealth, patients needing in-person care may face 100-mile drives. The group is also cutting staff and raising fees at remaining sites.

"The impact is going to be particularly brutal in red states that don't have a local government that is ready to step up and help support family planning services," said Shireen Ghorbani, the group's interim president. "Our county health departments ... often refer patients to Planned Parenthood for STI testing. So we anticipate that people will defer care or just not receive the care that they need."

Maine Family Planning, which supports 60 clinics statewide, lost nearly $2 million — about 20 percent of its annual budget — over what CEO George Hill described as "DEIA-related concerns."

"If the funds dry out and we're unable to replace them, clinics will close. Access will be denied," Hill said. "A lot of people are simply not going to get contraception if they have to get in the car and drive two hours away. It's gonna be painful, and I resent it deeply."

In Texas, Every Body Texas received $7 million this month — less than half of last year's $15.4 million. CEO Kristie Bardell warned the shortfall will reduce services for more than 180,000 patients.

A draft federal budget obtained by POLITICO suggests the Trump administration may move to eliminate Title X.

However, in early April, the Trump administration restored almost $2 million in Title X funding to Oklahoma and Tennessee, reversing a Biden-era decision that had excluded these states from the federal family planning program due to rule compliance issues, The Hill reported.

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