Members express outrage at Trump administration claims that Title X is frozen because it is DEI, stating “A federal program’s ability to provide care to people from historically marginalized and underserved communities does not make it wrong or illegal”

Text of Letter (PDF)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Diana DeGette, Co-Chairs of the Reproductive Freedom Caucus, along with Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Reproductive Health Care Task Force Chair & Liaison Judy Chu (CA-28), DWC Chair Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Reproductive Freedom Caucus Vice Chair & Whip Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), author of the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act Rep. Sharice Davids (KS-03), and Democratic Women’s Caucus Chief Whip Nikema Williams (GA-05), sent a letter signed by 162 Members urging Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore all appropriated funding for Title X providers and coordinate an urgent meeting on the matter. The Trump administration’s attack on Title X is yet another attack on women and reproductive health care. 

Title X, the nation’s only federal program dedicated to family planning, allows low-income, uninsured, or underinsured individuals to receive critical health care from a diverse network of providers. Title X health centers served 2.8 million people in FY 2023, administering high-quality family planning and sexual health care, including cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, contraceptive services and supplies, pregnancy testing, and other essential health care services. In the letter, the Members ask Sec. Kennedy to immediately unfreeze funds for federal programs: 

“We urge you to restore all appropriated funding for Title X providers and instead invest fully in the program which has helped people access essential health care for almost 50 years. On behalf of our 2.8 million constituents and women across the country who depend on Title X’s services, we also request a prompt reply to coordinate a meeting on this matter. We look forward to introducing you to the providers, community leaders, and patients from our districts who understand better than anyone else the importance of this program. We hope your agency will not be so reckless as to upend nearly half a century of bipartisan achievement and place Title X on the DOGE chopping block without hearing firsthand the consequences of that action.”

The Members also expressed their outrage at reports that the funding is frozen due to claims that it might support “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” The Members explained:

“This is another way of saying that this program is used to help people of color access care. Nearly half of the people served each year by Title X are people of color, the vast majority are people with low-incomes and most Title X users are women. A federal program’s ability to provide care to people from historically marginalized and underserved communities does not make it wrong or illegal. To suggest otherwise implies that HHS would determine who is worthy of taxpayer dollars based on the color of their skin. Congress created Title X to address the needs of underserved populations across our country, regardless of background, and it has demonstrated success in doing so for 50 years.”

The full letter can be accessed here.

In addition to letter leads Judy Chu, Diana DeGette, Ayanna Pressley, Teresa Leger Fernández, Lizzie Fletcher, Sharice Davids, and Nikema Williams, the letter was signed by: Gwen S. Moore, Chrissy Houlahan, Delia C. Ramirez, Frederica S. Wilson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Gerald E. Connolly, Dwight Evans, LaMonica McIver, Lori Trahan, Danny K. Davis, Eugene Simon Vindman, Nydia M. Velázquez, Brad Sherman, Rashida Tlaib, Darren Soto, Joyce Beatty, Seth Moulton, Marc A. Veasey, Jerrold Nadler, Madeleine Dean, Laura Friedman, John B. Larson, Juan Vargas, Nanette Diaz Barragán, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Becca Balint, Stephen F. Lynch, Betty McCollum, Lloyd Doggett, Jennifer L. McClellan, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mikie Sherrill, Rick Larsen, Derek T. Tran, Greg Stanton, Jimmy Panetta, Paul D. Tonko, Jill Tokuda, Dave Min, Terri A. Sewell, Jake Auchincloss, Jared Huffman, James P. McGovern, Mary Gay Scanlon, Mark DeSaulnier, Dina Titus, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Scott H. Peters, Doris Matsui, Emanuel Cleaver, Suzanne Bonamici, Grace Meng, Lucy McBath, Emilia Strong Sykes, Jim Himes, Joseph D. Morelle, Chellie Pingree, Josh Gottheimer, Veronica Escobar, Jasmine Crockett, Kathy Castor, Zoe Lofgren, Mike Quigley, Jan Schakowsky, Kevin Mullin, Greg Landsman, Marilyn Strickland, Pramila Jayapal, Ted W. Lieu, Robert J. Menendez, Jim Costa, Ilhan Omar, Timothy M. Kennedy, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Robin L. Kelly, Sara Jacobs, Ritchie Torres, Bennie G. Thompson, Gilbert Ray Cisneros, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Adriano Espaillat, Sarah McBride, Luz M. Rivas, Ami Bera, Seth Magaziner, Andrea Salinas, Lois Frankel, Melanie Stansbury, Mike Thompson, Julia Brownley, Summer L. Lee, Deborah K. Ross, Nikki Budzinski, Lateefah Simon, Julie Johnson, Kelly Morrison, Lauren Underwood, Yassamin Ansari, Mark Takano, Chris Pappas, Shri Thanedar, Mark Pocan, Maxine Dexter, Donald Norcross, Hillary J. Scholten, Ro Khanna, Sarah Elfreth, Jahana Hayes, André Carson, Jimmy Gomez, Raul Ruiz, Angie Craig, Norma J. Torres, Gregory W. Meeks, Val Hoyle, Maggie Goodlander, Salud Carbajal, Sylvia R. Garcia, George Latimer, Gabe Amo, Kristen McDonald Rivet, Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Shontel M. Brown, Suhas Subramanyam, Katherine M. Clark, Nancy Pelosi, Johnny Olszewski, Alma S. Adams, William R. Keating, Donald S. Beyer Jr., Ed Case, Glenn Ivey, Suzan K. DelBene, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Dan Goldman, Joaquin Castro, Sean Casten, Brittany Pettersen, Debbie Dingell, Chris Deluzio, Wesley Bell, Mike Levin, Bill Foster, Pete Aguilar, Bradley Scott Schneider, Greg Casar, Valerie P. Foushee, Al Green, Kim Schrier, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, John Garamendi, Joe Courtney, Steve Cohen, Troy A. Carter, and Robert C. “Bobby” Scott.

Yesterday, Congresswoman Pressley rallied with Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), colleagues, and advocates outside the U.S. Supreme Court during oral arguments in Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which could allow states to block Medicaid patients from accessing routine care at Planned Parenthood health centers.

Rep. Pressley has also spoken out against Republican attempts to gut Medicaid and delivered an impassioned speech slamming Republicans’ cruel and callous budget resolution that would slash Medicaid and other critical government services to pay for trillions of dollars in tax giveaways for Donald Trump’s billionaire donors.

In her personal capacity throughout her time in Congress, Rep. Pressley has fought persistently to protect fundamental reproductive and sexual healthcare rights. 

• On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, Rep. Pressley introduced the Abortion Justice Act, sweeping, intersectional legislation to address access to abortion care and put forth a comprehensive vision of a just America where abortion care is readily available—without stigma, shame or systemic barriers—for all who seek it, regardless of zip code, immigration status, income, or background.
• Rep. Pressley is a lead co-sponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA), bicameral federal legislation to guarantee equal access to abortion care, everywhere. 
• Rep. Pressley is also a lead co-sponsor of the EACH Act, bold legislation to repeal the Hyde Amendment and help guarantee abortion coverage—regardless of how a patient gets their health insurance.
• Shortly before the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Rep. Pressley led a group of her Black women colleagues in writing to President Biden urging him to declare a public health emergency amid the unprecedented threats to abortion rights nationwide. 
• Rep. Pressley condemned the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade., and implored the Senate to protect abortion rights and slammed the white supremacist roots of anti-abortion efforts.
• In October 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on Josseli Barnica, who died on Sept. 3, 2021 after being denied emergency abortion care in Texas as she suffered a miscarriage.
• In September 2024, in a House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Hearing, Rep. Pressley highlighted the harmful and deadly impact of abortion bans in America to date, and outlined in detail the shameful circumstances under which Amber Nicole Thurman died after being denied necessary abortion care in Georgia.
• In June 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling in Idaho v. United States; Moyle v. United States – the case about whether emergency abortion care is included under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). 
• In May 2024, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on a Louisiana bill that would classify medication abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances. 
• In April 2024, at a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Pressley played “Fact or Fiction” with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf to emphasize the safety and efficacy of medication abortion drug mifepristone.
• In August 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement on the Fifth Circuit Court decision in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley, alongside Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), and Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), reintroduced the Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act, legislation to help people with disabilities—who face discrimination and extra barriers when seeking care—get better access to reproductive healthcare and the informed care they need to control their own reproductive lives.
• In July 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of over-the-counter birth control.
• In May 2023, Rep. Pressley applauded the FDA Advisory Committee’s unanimous, 17-0 vote to recommend the approval of the first-ever application for over-the-counter birth control. She and Senator Murray also held a press conference applauding the decision and urging the FDA to approval over-the-counter birth control without delay.
• In May 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Ami Bera, MD (CA-06) and Senators Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), reintroduced their bicameral Affordability is Access Act to ensure that once the FDA determines an over-the-counter birth control option to be safe, insurers fully cover over-the-counter birth control without any fees or out-of-pocket costs.
• In April 2023, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Texas court ruling on mifepristone, and discussed the Texas case in a recent floor speech in which she affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care and access to mifepristone as essential. She later joined Governor Maura Healey, Senator Elizabth Warren (D-MA), and local leaders in announcing action to protect Mifepristone in Massachusetts.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley, along with Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Reps. Schakowsky, Lee, DeGette, Torres and Strickland, reintroduced the Abortion is Healthcare Everywhere Act harmful and discriminatory Helms Amendment and expand abortion access globally.
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley and Senator Hirono led their colleagues in reintroducing a bicameral congressional resolution honoring abortion providers and clinic staff. 
• In March 2023, Rep. Pressley delivered a speech in which she discussed the pending court case in Texas, which aims to restrict access to medication abortion across the entire nation. In her remarks, Rep. Pressley affirmed medication abortion as routine medical care, and accessibility to the abortion pill mifepristone as essential.
• In September 2021, Rep. Pressley issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s inaction on SB-8, Texas’ restrictive abortion law. Later that month, she participated in a House Oversight Committee hearing to examine the threat posed by abortion bans and underscored the urgency of the Senate passing the Women’s Health Protection Act. 
• In April 2021, Rep. Pressley, along with Congresswomen Barbara Lee (CA-13), Diana DeGette (CO-01) and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), led a group of 131 Democratic members in reintroducing the Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act or the EACH Act, which would repeal the Hyde Amendment and ensure that all people, regardless of income, insurance or zip code, can make personal reproductive healthcare decisions without interference from politicians. She re-Introduced the legislation In January 2023.
• Rep. Pressley has led calls in Congress for the FDA to remove medically unnecessary restrictions on the medication abortion drug mifepristone, and applauded the FDA’s action in January 2023 to allow retail pharmacies to dispense abortion medication pills.
• As Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus’s Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, Congresswoman Pressley has led the fight to repeal the Hyde Amendments from annual Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bills and in July 2020 published a Medium post on the importance of doing so. She applauded the removal of the Hyde Amendment in President Biden’s FY2022 budget.
• In May 2020, she led more than 155 Members of Congress in calling on House Democratic leadership to ensure that any future COVID-19 relief packages rejected Republican efforts to use the public health crisis to diminish abortion access.
• In August 2021, Rep. Pressley, Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, and Pro-Choice Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Diana DeGette and Barbara Lee led more than 70 of their House Democratic colleagues in introducing a resolution in support of equitable, science-based policies governing access to medication abortion care. 
• In January 2023, Rep. Pressley introduced a resolution to condemn all forms of political violence in the U.S., regardless of its target or intent. That same day, she delivered a powerful speech on the House floor slamming Republicans’ harmful, misleading anti-abortion resolution.
• In September 2022, Rep. Pressley hosted U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra at the Codman Square Health Center in Dorchester for a convening on their work to address the Black maternal health crisis and the criminalization of abortion care in states across the nation following the harmful U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. 
• In May 2019, she led more than 100 colleagues in introducing H.Con.Res.40, a resolution reaffirming the House of Representative’s support for Roe v. Wade.
• In June 2019, Rep. Pressley introduced H.R. 3296, the Affordability is Access Act, to make oral contraception available without a prescription. 
• In September 2016, as a member of the Boston City Council, Pressley championed a resolution calling on Congress and President Obama to repeal the Hyde Amendment and reinstate insurance coverage for abortion services.

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