19 Governors Send Letter to HHS Demanding Title X Funding Release
Calls on HHS Secretary Kennedy to immediately release appropriated funding to prevent a lapse in reproductive health care for millions
Today, nineteen governors – Governor Andy Beshear (KY), Governor, Tony Evers (WI), Governor Bob Ferguson (WA), Governor Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero (GU), Governor Maura Healey (MA), Governor Katie Hobbs (AZ), Governor Kathy Hochul (NY), Governor Tina Kotek (OR), Governor Ned Lamont (CT), Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (NM), Governor Daniel J. McKee (RI), Governor Matt Meyer (DE), Governor Wes Moore (MD), Governor Gavin Newsom (CA), Governor Jared Polis (CO), Governor JB Pritzker (IL), Governor Josh Shapiro (PA), Governor Josh Stein (NC), Governor Gretchen Whitmer (MI) – sent a joint letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. urging the immediate renewal of existing Title X grantees for a one-year funding extension without requiring reapplication–a common-sense step that would prevent a gap in care and protect access to reproductive health care for millions across the country. Grantees are funded through March 31st, and only received applications on March 13th, raising significant concerns that grantees will run out of money before applications are approved before the start of the new grant period on April 1st.
“Title X is a lifeline for nearly 3 million patients every year–many of whom have nowhere else to turn for contraception, cancer screenings, and essential health care. The funding has been appropriated. The need is urgent, HHS must act now to ensure that providers can keep their doors open and patients can continue to receive the care they rely on,” said Christina Chang, Executive Director of the Reproductive Freedom Alliance. “For patients in RFA states and across the country, a gap in Title X funding would mean losing access to care overnight with no replacement in sight. A funding lapse is not inevitable; it is a choice. Alliance governors are calling on Secretary Kennedy to make the right one.”
Title X serves as a critical safety net program, and a funding lapse would further hurt patients already facing cuts to Medicaid and other programs they rely on. The Reproductive Freedom Alliance will continue working to ensure those impacted can access the full range of reproductive health care.
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About the Reproductive Freedom Alliance
The Reproductive Freedom Alliance (RFA) is a nonpartisan coalition of 23 governors working together to protect and expand reproductive freedom across the United States. By supporting state policy change, RFA has helped equip governors with the tools to protect and expand access to reproductive health care, defend the rights of patients and providers, and advance state policies to safeguard reproductive freedom. RFA is supported by GovAct, a fiscally sponsored nonpartisan nonprofit initiative that helps governors work across state lines to champion fundamental freedoms and improve people’s lives.