162 House Democrats Urge HHS to Restore Title X Funds
More than 150 House Democrats signed a letter sent to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on April 3, calling for the department to undo the freeze on millions of dollars allocated for family planning services.
The letter, shared exclusively with TIME, comes after HHS confirmed this week that it is withholding Title X funds from 16 organizations 'pending an evaluation of possible violations' of federal civil rights laws and President Donald Trump's Executive Order declaring that undocumented immigrants are barred 'from obtaining most taxpayer-funded benefits.' Title X is the nation's only federally funded program dedicated solely to family planning, and each year allocates millions of dollars for clinics that provide birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing, and other health care services for people from low-income households. HHS did not respond to TIME's questions earlier this week about the details of the 'possible violations,' how much money was being withheld from the affected organizations, and which organizations were being hit by the funding freeze. It also did not respond to a further request for comment today, April 3.
More than $200 million is allocated for Title X annually. On March 25, the Wall Street Journal reported that HHS was considering freezing $27.5 million of those Title X funds. One of the largest Title X providers, Planned Parenthood, said on March 31 that nine of its affiliates were informed by the federal government that their Title X funding was being withheld as of April 1.
Read More: Trump Administration Freezes Critical Title X Funding for 16 Organizations
The letter sent to Kennedy on April 3 was an effort led by seven House Democrats: Rep. Judy Chu, California; Rep. Diana DeGette, Colorado; Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts; Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, New Mexico; Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, Texas; Rep. Sharice Davids, Kansas; and Rep. Nikema Williams, Georgia. The 162 House Democrats who signed it said in the letter that Title X has been 'a cornerstone of safety-net care' for decades.
'Championed by then-Congressman George H.W. Bush and signed into law by President Nixon, Title X allows a diverse network of providers to deliver high-quality care to low-income, uninsured, or underinsured individuals confidentially,' the letter said. 'These centers offer care to populations that often face severe structural and systemic barriers to accessing quality health care, including individuals with no or insufficient insurance and rural and underserved communities. Freezing funds for this essential program will harm communities that otherwise may not have access to care.'
According to the letter, Title X-funded clinics provided services to 2.8 million people in 2023. In 2016, 60% of the women who received birth control from a clinic participating in the Title X program revealed that that was their only source of health care the year before, according to the letter. The letter also cited a report from the Guttmacher Institute, which researches and supports sexual and reproductive health and rights, that found that every dollar spent on Title X services saves $7 in Medicaid-related expenses.
Reproductive rights experts have called the freeze 'absolutely devastating,' saying that Title X allows many people to access critical health care services they may not otherwise be able to afford. Experts at the Guttmacher Institute estimated that between 600,000 and 1.25 million people could be affected by the freeze annually.
In the letter, the signatories also said they were 'outraged that reports suggest that this funding is being frozen because of claims that it might support 'diversity, equity, and inclusion.''
Essential Access Health, which distributes Title X funds to health care centers in California and Hawaii, said in a press release on April 1 that it was informed that its Title X funds were being temporarily withheld pending 'an inquiry regarding compliance with federal policy and practices related to civil rights and Executive Orders focused on DEI activities.' Trump signed an Executive Order on his first day in office that was aimed at dismantling DEI initiatives.
'This is another way of saying that this program is used to help people of color access care,' the letter said. '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.'
House Democrats who signed the letter urged Kennedy to restore all the Title X funding to the affected organizations, requesting a 'prompt reply to coordinate a meeting on this matter' and offering to introduce Kennedy to providers, community leaders, and patients who can speak to the importance of the federal 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 [Department of Government Efficiency] chopping block without hearing firsthand the consequences of that action,' the letter said.
Contact us at letters@time.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
22 minutes ago
- The Hill
Bove vote dogged by new whistleblower complaints
Senate Democrats are seeking clarification about whether there is an ongoing investigation into Justice Department official Emil Bove after three different whistleblowers came forward with information ahead of his confirmation vote for a lifetime appointment to the bench. The request from Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) comes as a third whistleblower filed a complaint against Bove, alleging the nominee misled the Senate Judiciary Committee. Bove, previously one of Trump's personal defense lawyers, serves in the No. 3 role at the Justice Department and has been nominated to sit on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals. After clearing an initial procedural hurdle, a vote on his nomination could come as soon as Tuesday night. Schiff and Booker ask the Justice Department's Office of Inspector General to confirm for lawmakers whether they have ignited an investigation into Bove. 'As the Senate approaches a final vote this week on Mr. Bove's nomination to serve as United States Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, it is imperative that Senators exercise their constitutional duty of advice and consent with full knowledge of Mr. Bove's actions,' they wrote. 'We therefore request that you clarify for Senators whether your office is undertaking any investigations of or related to Mr. Bove. In the event these whistleblower complaints and other reports have not already prompted investigations by your office, we urge you to undertake a thorough review of these disclosures and allegations.' They argue the three different whistleblower complaints 'paint a picture that Mr. Bove likely violated laws and Department regulations, and abused his authority while acting as one of the Department's most senior officials.' According to The Washington Post, a third whistleblower has forwarded new allegations about Bove's role in ending the prosecution of New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) on bribery charges. Prosecutors who worked the case refused to drop the charges and sign onto the dismissal notice, prompting a wave of resignations. Bove said during his confirmation hearing that the Trump administration needed Adams's cooperation on immigration matters, prompting cries from Democrats that the move was a clear quid pro quo. 'Policy reasons made it appropriate to drop the charges,' Bove said at the time. He has already been accused by whistleblower Erez Reuveni of suggesting the Justice Department defy any court orders blocking the Trump administration from deporting migrants to a foreign prison under the Alien Enemies Act, saying DOJ might have to tell the courts 'f–k you.' A second whistleblower has stepped forward with information they say corroborates Reuveni's allegations. A judge has since begun a probe into whether the Justice Department defied his order to halt or turn around flights carrying Venezuelan men deported under the Alien Enemies Act, finding probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for willfully disobeying his order to immediately halt deportations. Bove has said he could not recall whether he used the expletive but said during his confirmation hearing that he 'certainly conveyed the importance of the upcoming operation.' Details are scarce on the third whistleblower complaint. 'A new whistleblower, whose disclosures have not been publicized, has strong evidence that Emil Bove was not truthful to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing for his nomination to serve on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals,' Peter Carr, a spokesman for Justice Connection said in a statement. The group, a DOJ alumni group that assists whistleblowers, was asked to release a statement on the whistleblower's behalf. 'The whistleblower has tried to share this information with Republican senators for weeks and they have not provided any response. We urge the senators to hear from this whistleblower before the final vote on his nomination.' The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment. GOP members have not stopped by Booker's office to review the documents provided by the latest whistleblower, the Post reported. Committee members asked Bove questions on a number of topics. Beyond whether he encouraged defiance of court orders, he was also asked about leading the effort to fire prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases and collecting a list of FBI agents who worked on investigations into rioters. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) backed Bove out of the committee, saying that while he will not confirm those who condoned Jan. 6, he did not feel the nominee had condoned the riots. Bove advanced after an initial round of voting where Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) were the only GOP members to vote against him. Democrats previously demanded a hearing with Reuveni, but the panel's Republicans blocked it. 'Another whistleblower has come forward with evidence that raises serious concerns with Emil Bove's misconduct,' Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee said. 'This is another damning indictment of a man who should never be a federal judge—and Senate Republicans will bear full responsibility for the consequences if they rubber stamp Mr. Bove's nomination.'
The Hill
22 minutes ago
- The Hill
Watch live: Peter Welch unveils legislation to combat Trump ‘sick tax'
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) will speak Tuesday afternoon on recently introduced legislation targeting President Trump's 'sick tax,' a provision in the GOP-led spending and tax package that will require Medicaid enrollees to pay more out of pocket when visiting a health care provider. Welch, along with other Democrats, has in recent weeks pushed back against sweeping cuts and reforms to Medicaid included in the 'big, beautiful bill' that Trump signed into law on July 4. 'As a result, seniors, children, people with disabilities, and working families already fighting to make ends meet will be forced to pay an out-of-pocket cost before they can receive vital health care services,' the Vermont Democrat wrote in a statement introducing the Repealing the Trump Sick Tax Act. 'This 'sick tax' imposed by President Trump and Congressional Republicans will force Medicaid enrollees to choose between paying their bills and receiving vital care every time they need to see a provider,' he added. Welch's remarks are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Watch the live video above.
The Hill
22 minutes ago
- The Hill
Greene calls Gaza humanitarian crisis a ‘genocide'
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called the humanitarian crisis in Gaza a 'genocide' in a social media, appearing to be the first Republican in Congress to use the term to describe the situation. 'It's the most truthful and easiest thing to say that Oct 7th in Israel was horrific and all hostages must be returned, but so is the genocide, humanitarian crisis, and starvation happening in Gaza,' Greene said in a post on X on Monday night. Her comment came as part of a larger response criticizing fellow Republican Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.), one of three Jewish Republicans in the House who joined the chamber after a special election earlier this year. Greene dug into Fine over his recent social media posts about the conflict, including denying that there is starvation in Gaza. 'There is no starvation. Everything about the 'Palestinian' cause is a lie,' Fine said in a post on Sunday. Last week, Fine posted: 'Release the hostages. Until then, starve away.' Trump on Monday said there was 'real starvation' happening in Gaza and that the U.S. would do more to address it. 'I can only imagine how Florida's 6th district feels now that their Representative, that they were told to vote for, openly calls for starving innocent people and children,' Greene said, before going on to make her comment about the genocide. 'But a Jewish U.S. Representative calling for the continued starvation of innocent people and children is disgraceful. His awful statement will actually cause more antisemitism,' Greene said. Fine's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and he has not yet responded on social media. Greene's stance marks a major break with her party, and an escalation of her criticism of Israel — and U.S. financial support for Israel — as the war in Gaza drags on. Over the weekend she posted that 'what has been happening to innocent people and children in Gaza is horrific.' Earlier this month, Greene introduced an amendment to cut funding to Israel's missile defense, which failed in a 6-422 vote. Greene has previously been accused of antisemitism, most famously over a 2018 Facebook post that has come to be known as the 'Jewish space laser' post — though Greene never used that phrase. In the post, Greene in which she floated that a 'laser beam or light beam' from 'space solar generators' could be to blame for wildfires in California, also mentioning the 'Rothschild Inc.' Greene later said she did not know the Rothschilds have long been at the center of antisemitic conspiracy theories. Greene also voted against an antisemitism awareness bill last year, saying it would define antisemitic behavior to include remarks about Jews killing Jesus, which she said went against the Bible.
