Alongside Connecticut Attorney General William Tong and New York Attorney General Letitia James, California Attorney General Rob Bonta today co-led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit supporting Planned Parenthood in its challenge to the Trump Administration’s unlawful efforts to defund its health centers. The Defund Provision, enacted as part of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill Act, blocks federal Medicaid funding for essential medical services such as cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and wellness exams provided at “prohibited entities.” The criteria for a “prohibited entity” were crafted so that this Defund Provision applies almost exclusively to Planned Parenthood, fulfilling a long-standing goal by Republicans of punishing Planned Parenthood for providing and advocating in support of abortion care. California Planned Parenthoods provide care to nearly one million people annually, and over 80% of Planned Parenthood patients in California rely on Medi-Cal programs to access healthcare. The Defund Provision is already having impacts in California. Planned Parenthood locations have closed altogether and others are limiting services. 
“The Trump Administration’s assault on healthcare, which includes reproductive care, knows no bounds. Right now, the federal government remains shut down because Republicans refuse to act to stop Americans’ monthly premiums from skyrocketing. At the same time, we cannot lose sight of how disastrous the Defund Provision will be for the loss of vital healthcare services that Planned Parenthood and other health centers provide,” said Attorney General Bonta. “My fellow attorneys general and I have filed our own lawsuit against the provision, and we are now continuing to show our unyielding support for the lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood. The Trump Administration says that it wants to Make America Healthy Again, but its actions repeatedly tell a far different story. We cannot, and will not, remain silent.”