As a presidential candidate, Donald Trump promised to defund Planned Parenthood. That has yet to happen.
Trump joined other Republicans in opposition to federal funding for the health services provider on the grounds that Planned Parenthood helps some patients obtain abortions.
“I would defund it because of the abortion factor, which they say is 3 percent,” Trump said on Feb. 25, 2016. “I don’t know what percentage it is. They say it’s 3 percent. But I would defund it, because I’m pro-life. But millions of women are helped by Planned Parenthood.”
Federal funding does not actually fund abortions. The Hyde Amendment excludes Planned Parenthood and others from using federal dollars to pay for most abortion services, except in instances of rape, incest or when a woman’s life is in danger. Abortion opponents argue the government is tacitly supporting abortion by funding non-abortion services.
So how far has Trump come in keeping his promise?
First, it’s important to note that Planned Parenthood is not a line item on the budget, so it can’t simply be crossed out. Planned Parenthood gets most of its funding through Medicaid reimbursements for preventive care and some from Title X, a Health and Human Services grant program that funds comprehensive family planning services.
Trump’s proposed 2018 budget, which he sent Congress in May, called for denying funding, whether through Medicaid or Title X, to any group that performs abortions, including Planned Parenthood, even if that money isn’t going toward abortions. The House and Senate versions of the budget don’t include that language.
But the best shot Trump had at getting rid of the Medicaid reimbursements was through failed health care reform.
The GOP health care bill would have effectively blocked Planned Parenthood from securing reimbursements from Medicaid for a year. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Ak., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, who alongside Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., killed the bill in the Senate, had cited Planned Parenthood funding as one of the conditions of their support for the bill.
The Health and Human Services Department has put all grants provided through Title X up for renewal in June 2018. Terms for grants, which have not yet been announced, are expected to set more stringent anti-abortion conditions for the funding. Heading the department is Teresa Manning, is a prominent anti-abortion activist.
The Trump administration is working to cut back access to abortion, but his vow to cut funding for Planned Parenthood has been met with roadblocks so far. For now, we rate this promise Stalled.