Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on Feb. 11 a 90 million dollar infusion of funds to Planned Parenthood clinics to make up for federal funding cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
California lawmakers approved the one-time funding boost on Feb. 9. Newsom said at the bill’s signing ceremony that it has been a “point of pride” to assist Planned Parenthood.
“These cuts were designed to attack and assault Planned Parenthood,” Newsom said. “They were not abortion cuts. They were attacks on wellness screenings. They were attacks on women’s healthcare, period, full stop.”
The OBBBA prohibited states from using federal Medicaid dollars to reimburse non-abortion services for Planned Parenthood patients for one year, with funding to resume in July 2026. California has been leading litigation against the law to claw back the funds.
Anti-abortion advocates have long argued that any federal or state funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood effectively supports abortion because money can be used for procedures that cause abortions. If taxpayers cover costs for pap smears or mammograms, anti-abortion advocates argue, it frees up other funds to be used for abortions.
According to Planned Parenthood’s 2023-24 annual report, the most recent, the organization’s affiliate clinics provided more than 402,000 abortions, 2.2 million contraceptive services, and 5 million STI tests and treatments nationwide.
During the same week, public health experts warned that a $600 million cut to federal public health funding announced by the Trump administration would endanger one of California’s main early-warning systems for HIV outbreaks, leaving communities vulnerable to undetected disease spread.
The grant terminations affect funding for several disease control programs in California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota, but the vast majority target California, according to congressional Democrats who received the full list of affected programs. The move is the latest in the White House’s campaign against what it called “radical gender ideology” at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“These cuts will hurt vital efforts to prevent the spread of disease,” said Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). “It’s dangerous, and it’s deliberate.”
Under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the CDC has increasingly turned away from evidence-backed HIV monitoring and prevention programs, claiming they “undermined core American values.”
The stoppage will derail $1.1 million slated for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health’s National HIV Behavioral Surveillance Project, according to the president’s budget office.
“Without this program, we’re flying blind. “The first step in addressing any public health threat is understanding what’s happening on the ground,” Dr. Paul Simon said. “With HIV in particular, people often have no symptoms for years and can unknowingly spread the virus.”
The White House gave little explanation for the move but claimed the programs it targeted “promote DEI and radical gender ideology.”
Simon pushed back on the claim, calling the move “dangerous” and “shortsighted.”
“It’s particularly dangerous to put your head in the sand and pretend there’s not a problem,” Simon said. “The success we’ve had over the past decades comes from finding cases early. … By treating people early, we can prevent transmission.”