Attorney General Phil Weiser sues Trump administration for blocking Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funding

July 29, 2025 (DENVER) – Attorney General Phil Weiser today joined a coalition of 22 states and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump administration over the sweeping federal spending law’s “Defund Provision,” which targets Planned Parenthood and health care access for millions of low-income Americans.

The Defund Provision specifically blocks Medicaid reimbursements for essential health care services, such as cancer screenings, birth control, and STI testing-at Planned Parenthood health centers. A coalition of attorneys general asks the court to stop the Trump administration from implementing this devastating and unlawful provision, which will lead to widespread disruptions in preventative care and increase health care costs if allowed to stand.

“The Defund Provision cuts Planned Parenthood—an essential health care provider—from Medicaid, leaving many patients without options to receive critical health care services. Congress specifically included the Defund Provision in the massive spending bill to target and punish Planned Parenthood for providing abortion access and advocating for reproductive health options for patients. Coloradans continually have made it clear that they support reproductive health care and we are suing the administration to stop it from implementing the provision and leaving states with higher costs for care in the long-term,” said Attorney General Weiser.

Defunding Planned Parenthood threatens at least 200 health centers nationwide, affecting health care for more than 1.1 million people, many of whom are unlikely to be able to receive care elsewhere. Despite claims by lawmakers that other health centers can absorb these patients, recent findings from the Guttmacher Institute indicated that alternative locations do not have the capacity to serve the number of Americans who currently rely on Planned Parenthood for their health care.

Planned Parenthood Federation of American filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration challenging the prohibited Medicaid reimbursements. But last week, following the expiration of a temporary restraining order enjoining the Defund Provision, most Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide were cut off from Medicaid funding, including in Colorado. Yesterday, a federal court in Boston granted Planned Parenthood’s injunction in full, concluding that the Defund Provision likely violates the U.S. Constitution by targeting Planned Parenthood’s health centers specifically for punishment, and likely violates the First Amendment and Equal Protection clause.

In today’s filing, the coalition argues that the Defund Provision is impermissibly ambiguous and violates Congress’ Spending Clause power. They highlight that the provision is likely to increase health risks, which will result not only in widespread and devastating effects on the health of our most vulnerable residents but also increased costs of $30 million over the next five years and $52 million over the next 10 years in Medicaid programs.

The coalition of attorneys general urges the court to enjoin the Trump administration from implementing the provision to prevent the tremendous harm this will have on public health and welfare of their states, as well as the increased costs to the states.

Attorney General Weiser joins the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as Josh Shapiro, in his official capacity as governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in filing the lawsuit.

Read a copy of the lawsuit (PDF). 

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Media Contact:
Lawrence Pacheco
Chief Communications Officer
(720) 508-6553 office
lawrence.pacheco@coag.gov