WA Gov. Bob Ferguson vows to keep Planned Parenthood funded despite federal cuts
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- Congress defunded Planned Parenthood via a federal bill signed on July 4, 2025.
- Washington state pledged $11 million to offset Medicaid funding losses.
- Critics warned the bill also cuts Medicaid and SNAP, harming low-income residents.
Congressional Republicans effectively defunded Planned Parenthood via the federal “Big Beautiful Bill,” which President Donald Trump signed into law July 4.
But on Wednesday, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson promised to help keep money flowing to the reproductive health care provider if need be.
In Washington, Planned Parenthood is poised to lose half of what it receives each year in Medicaid funding; at least $11 million of the at least $22 million it gets in Medicaid dollars comes from the federal government, according to the governor’s office.
At a July 9 press conference in Seattle, Ferguson underscored the ramifications of Trump’s new federal tax and spending package, blasting it as the “Big Betrayal of a Bill.” He was joined by U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, and Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates CEO Jennifer M. Allen, among other speakers.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act imposed a one-year moratorium on Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, a provision that took effect immediately. The reproductive health-care organization then sued, and a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the provision.
“As governor, one thing I have spoken to Planned Parenthood leadership about … is that if they are unsuccessful in that litigation, Washington state will step up to backfill those dollars,” Ferguson said. “That is critically important for us to do right now.”
Ferguson said that the $11 million in funding would come from the state’s Health Care Authority, representing a small portion of that state agency’s budget.
Allen with the Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates said the new law attacks Planned Parenthood and its patients in a politically motivated way.
“We are undaunted, but it does take money to provide care,” she said. “This is a hit on Planned Parenthood and on our state.”
Washington leaders further warned at Wednesday’s event that the megabill will execute sweeping cuts to Medicaid, which provides health coverage to low-income residents. It also takes aim at the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which offers food benefits to low-income families.
Ferguson said it’s hard to overstate how devastating such reductions will be to the state and health-care system. Washington’s poorest residents will be hit hardest by the bill as the wealthiest few reap the benefit of tax breaks, he added.
Both he and Jayapal decried the legislation as virtually the worst they’d ever seen.
“It really is sometimes difficult to find the words to communicate just how cruel and wrong something is,” Ferguson said. “But this bill — my God — you know, the impacts will be affecting Washingtonians for years. There is no way to sugarcoat this, everybody: for years.”
BBB ‘will leave Americans sicker and poorer’
As an abortion provider, Planned Parenthood has long been condemned by many Republicans and anti-abortion advocates. Still, reproductive-rights supporters point out that many depend on the organization for other reasons, such as cancer treatments and STI screenings.
They also underscore that federal Medicaid money can’t be used to cover abortion services.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, a Washington Democrat, has noted that the controversial bill could potentially force some 200 Planned Parenthood centers nationwide to close.
Jayapal said Wednesday that Planned Parenthood facilities in Washington also serve clients from states with restrictions on reproductive rights. Now patients will need to travel farther — and face longer wait times — as health services in rural areas shutter or scale back services, she added.
“There’s so much in this bill, it’s actually difficult to figure out what exactly to focus on,” the Congress member said. “But I do want to say that it will leave Americans sicker and poorer. That’s the bottom line.”
Washington state legislators struggled throughout the 2025 session with how to balance a state budget suffering from a multi-billion-dollar shortfall. Their solution: a mix of new taxes and spending reductions. Democratic lawmakers then faced flak for making deep cuts to abortion-access dollars.
Ferguson vowed Wednesday to work with legislative leaders to ensure that Planned Parenthood is adequately funded in the upcoming supplemental budget.
This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 2:21 PM.
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