Ferguson pledges state funds to backfill lost federal funding for Planned Parenthood

SEATTLE – Gov. Bob Ferguson said Wednesday that Washington would backfill approximately $11 million in federal funding that Planned Parenthood could lose as a result of the recently adopted “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a move the governor said is “critically important for us to do right now.”

“That bill intentionally targets Planned Parenthood and other similar health care providers that offer reproductive health care,” Ferguson said Wednesday. “It includes a one-year moratorium on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood.”

Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit Monday challenging a provision of the legislation that would prevent its health centers from receiving Medicaid reimbursements. A federal judge in Massachusetts has temporarily blocked the provision, and a hearing to decide on a longer-term pause is set for later this month.

Planned Parenthood operates 30 health centers that serve more than 100,000 patients each year in Washington.

“Medicaid is the primary payer for Planned Parenthood. Many of the patients who visit Planned Parenthood are on Medicaid, making Planned Parenthood one of Washington’s preeminent Medicaid providers,” Ferguson said.

According to Ferguson, Planned Parenthood receives at least $22 million a year in Medicaid funding in Washington, which includes at least $11 million from the federal government. The moratorium on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood took effect as soon as the legislation was signed, the governor’s office said.

“That important funding, that critical funding, is certainly at risk,” Ferguson said during a news conference Wednesday.

According to Ferguson, the money to backfill the lost federal funds would come from the Washington Healthcare Authority’s budget and account for approximately 0.5% of the agency’s yearly budget.

“That is a one-time thing, this cut is essentially a one-year moratorium,” Ferguson said Wednesday. “The litigation is ongoing, there are a lot of moving pieces to put it very, very mildly.”

Jennifer Allen, CEO of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, said Wednesday that the federal funding cut would be a huge hit to the organization.

“Preventing Medicaid patients from seeking care at Planned Parenthood is, frankly, ridiculous,” Allen said. “Washington state has consistently invested heavily in assuring that people have access to care and other safety net services in our state.”

Under federal law, federal funds that Planned Parenthood receives cannot be used to provide abortion services, with the money instead going toward preventative care and cancer screenings, among other health care treatments. Still, the cut to Planned Parenthood earned the praise of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, a prominent anti-abortion advocacy organization.

In a statement Monday, the organization criticized Planned Parenthood’s ongoing federal legal challenge.

“As Planned Parenthood doubles down on lawfare and abortion politics, they prove exactly why the One Big Beautiful Bill is a historic victory for the people, stopping half a billion dollars in forced taxpayer funding of the corrupt abortion industry for the first time,” Katie Daniel, director of legal affairs and policy counsel, said in a statement Monday.

While Ferguson vowed to backfill any funds the organization could lose, he reiterated that the state lacks the resources needed to account for approximately $3 billion per year Washington stands to lose in Medicaid funding and nutrition benefits, among other federal funds.

“The state of Washington does not have billions of dollars lying around every year to backfill that,” Ferguson said.

Going forward, Ferguson said the state would look to “mitigate those harms” from the legislation and may backfill the loss of other federal funding for organizations “if those dollar amounts are, on a relative sense, smaller and more manageable.”