The Trump administration quietly reinstated Title X family planning funds for Tennessee and Oklahoma, despite prior court rulings that the states were ineligible due to their refusal to provide abortion counseling or referrals. While the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) restored over $5 million combined to the two states in March 2024, it simultaneously withheld nearly $66 million from other Title X recipients, including multiple Planned Parenthood affiliates.
The Biden administration had previously cut funding to Tennessee and Oklahoma in 2023 for not complying with federal rules requiring abortion counseling. Courts upheld the decision, but HHS unexpectedly restored funds under what it claimed were “settlement agreements”—a claim state officials later denied.
Both states maintain they are not providing abortion-related counseling, raising questions about why their funding was partially restored. Meanwhile, other clinics across at least seven states have lost access to Title X funds entirely, affecting over 842,000 people.
Title X has long supported low-income individuals by offering reproductive healthcare services. Critics argue these funding cuts are severely limiting access to contraception, cancer screenings, and STI testing. The policy shift marks a stark contrast to the treatment of other grantees, especially as the national debate over abortion continues to intensify.
