Planned Parenthood could soon gain access to federal funds with GOP ban set to expire

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Planned Parenthood is likely to be able to regain access to federal funding in days after a year-long Republican ban is set to expire without an extension.

The passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year meant conservative lawmakers were able to realize a long-term goal and block the nonprofit from receiving government money.

The budget reconciliation bill included a provision that stopped Medicaid reimbursements being paid out to any organization that offered family planning services, from contraception to abortion, which included Planned Parenthood.

However, Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough only allowed the provision to stand for one year, not the proposed 10.

Republicans on Capitol Hill have now said they lack the votes to secure an extension due to the narrowness of their majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate, which could be wiped out altogether in November’s midterms should an anticipated blue wave happen.

The passage of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year meant Planned Parenthood was blocked from receiving government funding, a long-time goal for conservative lawmakers. However, that provision is set to expire (AP)

“I think at this point, it’d be unlikely,” Montana Republican Sen. Steve Daines told NOTUS of the possibility of pushing for an extension.

He added that his party – which passed a second reconciliation bill earlier this month, approving $70 billion for immigration enforcement – would “need to find a vehicle, which would mean we’d need a third reconciliation bill and I’d like to see a third reconciliation bill done, but I know they are hard to pass.”

The GOP remains under pressure from the anti-abortion movement to cut funding to pro-choice groups.

It was reminded of the movement’s expectations last week by Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, wrote in a letter to Senate Republicans that read: “Budget reconciliation remains the only viable legislative path to continuing to defund Big Abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged to start working on a bill, but his colleagues in the Senate such as Mitch McConnell and Susan Collins have already poured cold water on its chances of success.

The ban only lasted for a year and is set to expire on July 5 (Getty)

Wyoming Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis told NOTUS she supported defunding Planned Parenthood but was likewise not optimistic about the prospect of its becoming a reality.

“I don’t think Planned Parenthood should receive federal funds, but it’s very challenging,” she said. “We’re so close to 50-50 in both chambers to get everything we, on my side of the aisle, that we want as Republicans.”

Her colleagues James Lankford of Oklahoma and John Cornyn of Texas both said it was too difficult to sew up a majority, particularly when many House and Senate seats were under threat and the parliamentarian was only willing to approve a funding cut “temporarily.”

For the organization itself, the withdrawal of funds – accounting for around $832 million or 39 percent of its $2.14 billion annual revenue – has already done “irreversible damage” and led to the closure of 51 of its health centers last year, according to Nora Walsh-DeVries, its vice president for political and legislative affairs.

“Our fantastic affiliates across the county have done so much work to still see as many patients as they can and cover the costs and make sure patients can still come at no cost to them, but that’s just not a sustainable way to operate,” Walsh-DeVries told NOTUS.

“Any further defund will just continue this devastation.”

The organization has nevertheless said it sustained ‘irreversible damage’ as a result of the ban, which meant it lost out on around $832 million (AP)

She said she expects “many” Planned Parenthood affiliates to start taking Medicaid insurance again from July, assuming no further reimbursements ban is introduced, but added: “There are states that don’t want to let that happen, regardless of what any federal law is telling them, so we’re anticipating definitely some hiccups along the way.”

While the Trump administration was able to block Medicaid funding last year, it could not stop grants being paid out to Planned Parenthood via the Title X Family Planning Program after backing down in the face of “significant legal challenges.”

Abortion is not currently considered a central issue for the upcoming midterms, which are likely instead to serve as a referendum on Trump’s handling of the economy, which remains most voters’ primary concern.

A Gallup poll published earlier this month recorded a shift in American attitudes to abortion, finding that the percentage of people who believe it should be illegal or legal in only a few instances has now surpassed the total of those who say it should be legal in most or all circumstances, at 49 percent to 48 percent.

The survey also found that 49 percent of respondents believe abortion is “morally acceptable,” down from 54 percent in 2024.