The abortion giant Planned Parenthood has regained access to nearly $1 billion in Medicaid funds after the U.S. Congress failed to renew a provision in last year’s “Big Beautiful Bill” that defunded Planned Parenthood for 12 months.
President Donald Trump signed the bill on July 4, 2025, which contained a one-year ban on federal funds going to the abortion mill. Because lawmakers did not extend the ban, the measure has expired, and Medicaid funds can now be funneled to Planned Parenthood’s non-abortion services. Planned Parenthood is anticipating access to more than $800 million in annual federal funds.
Pro-life advocates want to know why the Trump administration and congressional conservatives have failed to permanently defund Planned Parenthood, which was one of the president’s campaign promises. Lawmakers and activists are urging the White House and GOP leadership to take action, noting that military spending and immigration budget issues seem to have been given priority over sanctity of life concerns.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) spoke out against the lack of action during a July 16 Capitol Hill press conference.
“Is this Congress, a Republican Congress, going to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer money to the worst, most notorious abortion provider in the United States of America?” Hawley asked, adding, “There is no excuse, none, for Planned Parenthood to be receiving taxpayer money to be carrying out the murder of the innocent unborn.”
Southern Baptist Evan Lenow, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, called on policymakers to fight efforts to funnel money to Planned Parenthood.
“This includes finding legislative pathways in Congress to renew the now-expired defund provision, while also calling upon the White House to protect life through executive branch action,” he told lawmakers last week, according to the Baptist Press. “We have urged the Trump administration, in particular, to not delay in reinstating the Protect Life Rule, a commonsense regulation that would prevent abortion providers from receiving federal dollars under the Title X Family Planning Program.”
Before last year’s defunding, about 40% of Planned Parenthood’s revenue came from taxpayers, the organization’s annual reports indicate. Since January 2025, an estimated 57 Planned Parenthood facilities have shut down, according to estimates from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling, which returned the issue of abortion to the states, the abortion debate has only intensified. A Biden-era decision to allow chemical abortion by telehealth and mail-order has faced little federal pushback. The move modified the FDA’s Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), a drug safety program, to remove the federal requirement that abortion drugs be dispensed in person.
The state of Louisiana sued the FDA in October to stop out-of-state suppliers from mailing abortion drugs to state residents in violation of Louisiana’s pro-life laws.
Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council, told Decision he was concerned that the U.S. has not responded by reducing the number of abortions in the country but is “keeping in place policies that’s allowed it to expand.”
“Unfortunately, after the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the Dobbs decision, abortion rates have actually gone up in this country by over 20%,” Perkins said. “And the reason is because we have a federal policy in place that turns mailboxes into abortion clinics. That’s something people need to consider and speak out about.”
Hawley noted that how the U.S. spends its money “shows what we value as a nation.”
“[I]nnocent preborn lives have innate, immutable value conferred to them by God and they deserve protection from the predatory abortion industry,” the senator said. “This conviction compels us to call upon our officials to ensure federal dollars are not flowing into the hands of organizations like Planned Parenthood.”
Bible passages to ponder: 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Proverbs 31:8-9, Isaiah 1:17
