Sen. Lee: 'Potentially Impeachable' to Block Bid to Defund Planned Parenthood

Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is raising the prospect of impeachment proceedings against U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani after she blocked implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act's provision to strip federal Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood in 22 states.

The ruling, handed down late Tuesday, temporarily halts enforcement of the portion of the bill designed to prevent taxpayer dollars from indirectly subsidizing abortion providers, with Talwani saying that Congress may have exceeded its constitutional authority in the way the measure was structured and applied.

The decision immediately ignited backlash from several Republican lawmakers who argue the judiciary has once again intruded on matters within the legislative branch's purview.

Lee, who previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Salt Lake City and argued cases before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, took to social platform X to denounce Talwani's ruling and suggest a potential congressional remedy.

"It would take an act of Congress to defund Planned Parenthood," the senator wrote Tuesday night. "So Congress did precisely that. To suggest Congress somehow lacks the authority to do that is insane — and potentially impeachable."

Legal scholars note that while judicial impeachment is rare, Congress does have the authority to remove federal judges for misconduct or abuse of office. The threshold, however, is high, and political will would play a central role.

Supporters of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act argue that the legislation was crafted precisely to eliminate what they describe as "bureaucratic gamesmanship" that has long shielded Planned Parenthood from funding restrictions approved by conservative lawmakers. By packaging multiple appropriations directives into a single comprehensive measure, Republican sponsors said the bill was designed to withstand legal challenges.

Planned Parenthood praised the judge's decision, saying in a statement obtained by Politico that the "district court again recognized the 'defund' law for what it is: unconstitutional and dangerous."

Meanwhile, supporters of the defunding effort noted in the court record that Medicaid reimbursements for non-abortion-related services help sustain Planned Parenthood's nationwide abortion infrastructure. The Hyde Amendment bars Medicaid from funding abortions directly.

Newsmax Wires contributed to this report.

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