New York Attorney General Letitia James condemned the Trump administration for cutting Title X family planning funds. She leads a coalition of 21 attorneys general urging federal officials to reverse the decision immediately.
The cuts will reduce access to contraception, cancer screenings, and STI testing for low-income communities.
Funding cuts threaten public health
On March 31, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) terminated Title X grants for several providers. The affected clinics serve nearly 25% of all Title X patients nationwide.
Attorney General James warned the cuts will cause spikes in unintended pregnancies, STIs, HIV cases, and cervical cancer.
Historical impacts show dangers
James cited data from 2019, when previous Title X cuts under the Trump administration triggered a 60% drop in patients served. Clinics nationwide performed over one million fewer STI tests and hundreds of thousands fewer cancer screenings.
Low-income and rural communities were hit hardest, forcing states like New York to fund emergency health services out of pocket.
Coalition pushes back
James and attorneys general from 20 other states argue the funding cuts are politically motivated. They claim HHS cited vague civil rights concerns without credible evidence.
They demand full restoration of Title X grants to prevent further harm to public health and strained state budgets.
Joining New York in the letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
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