Attorney General Neronha, coalition sue Trump Administration for blocking Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding

Published on Tuesday, July 29, 2025

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha today joined a coalition of 21 attorneys general and one governor in suing the Trump Administration over the sweeping budget reconciliation law (“Big Beautiful Bill”), specifically the “Defund Provision,” signed by President Trump this month. This provision, which targets Planned Parenthood, is a direct attack on the healthcare access of millions of low-income Americans, disproportionately affecting women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities of color.

The coalition asks the court to enjoin the Trump Administration from implementing this devastating and unlawful provision, which will lead to widespread disruptions in preventative care and increased healthcare costs if allowed to stand.

“Rhode Island’s health care system is already in crisis, and this targeted funding cut will make it exponentially worse,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Planned Parenthood provides essential health care services, including breast cancer screenings, cervical cancer screenings, and the prevention and treatment of communicable diseases, for some of our most vulnerable community members. Further, defunding Planned Parenthood would exacerbate the health care crisis in Rhode Island by eliminating yet another primary care practice, one which serves more than 10,000 patients. Those patients would then have to scramble to find services elsewhere, and our current system cannot absorb such a hit. Health care must be affordable and accessible for all Americans, and we will continue to fight against those who enact policies to the contrary.”

The “Big Beautiful Bill,” is a sweeping Republican-led law signed by the President last month. Among its many provisions, one of the most detrimental sections is a clause that blocks federal Medicaid funding for essential medical services such as cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and wellness exams-provided at Planned Parenthood health centers.

Defunding Planned Parenthood threatens at least 200 health centers nationwide, affecting healthcare for more than 1.1 million people, many of whom are unlikely to be able to receive care elsewhere. Despite claims by Republican lawmakers that other healthcare centers can absorb these patients, recent findings from the Guttmacher Institute indicated that alternative centers do not have the capacity to serve the number of Americans who currently rely on Planned Parenthood for their health care.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the prohibited Medicaid reimbursements. But last week, following the expiration of a temporary restraining order enjoining the Defund Provision, most Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide became cut off from Medicaid funding. Yesterday, the court granted Planned Parenthood’s injunction in full, concluding that the Defund Provision violates the First Amendment and Equal Protection clause as well as the prohibition on Bills of Attainder in the U.S. Constitution.

Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island provides essential health services to about 10,000 patients per year, and about 25% of those patients are Medicaid recipients.

In today’s filing, the coalition argues that the Defund Provision, which prohibits Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood, is impermissibly ambiguous and violates Congress’ Spending Clause power. They highlight that the provision is likely to increase health risks, including delayed diagnoses of STIs and cancer and increased unintended pregnancies, which will result not only in widespread and devastating effects on the health of our most vulnerable residents, but also increased costs of $30 million over the next five years and $52 million over the next ten years in Medicaid programs. They urge the court to enjoin the Trump Administration from implementing the provision in order to prevent the tremendous harm this will have on public health and welfare of their states, as well as the increased costs to the states.

Attorney General Neronha joins the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the governor of Pennsylvania, in filing the lawsuit.

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