Trump Administration Needs To Pump Brakes On Overhaul Of $260M Family Planning Program, Democrats Say
Democratic lawmakers pointed out what they called “troubling irregularities” in the regulatory review process of changes that the Trump administration wants to make to the Title X program. “We have reason to believe that the final rule, if implemented, would undermine the federal Title X family planning program and threaten access to family planning services for millions of low-income women across the United States,” they wrote.
The Washington Post:
Democrats Call On Trump Administration To Delay Title X Family Planning Rule, Citing ‘Serious Concerns’
Democratic members of Congress are asking the Trump administration to slow down efforts to overhaul the $260 million family planning program, citing issues with what they call an “unconventional and nontransparent” review process. The proposed changes to the Title X program, which were announced last May, are a top priority of conservatives who helped elect the president. They would bar clinics that provide abortion services or referrals from receiving federal family-planning funds. A wide range of critics — from medical groups to abortion rights activists — have decried the effort as an attack on Planned Parenthood, which stands to lose millions of dollars a year if the changes go into effect. (Cha, 2/15)
In other news on the administration's policies —
The Associated Press:
Lawsuit Claims Discrimination By Foster Agency
A Catholic mother accuses a federally funded South Carolina foster agency of not working with her because she's "not the right kind of Christian," her lawyers say. In a federal lawsuit filed Friday, Aimee Maddonna and her lawyers say Miracle Hill Ministries is unconstitutionally discriminating against non-Protestants. The lawsuit challenges a waiver granted this year to the Greenville agency, which previously has come under fire for denying services to same-sex couples and non-Christian families. (Kinnard, 2/15)
