Letitia James Challenges New Federal Restrictions on Title X Family Planning Funding

For anyone who relies on a Title X-funded clinic — whether for contraception, cancer screenings, or STI testing — this lawsuit could determine whether the door stays open or shrinks in the coming year.

What the new conditions require

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published a new funding notice in July for the next five-year Title X grant cycle. For the first time, applicants must align their programs with a set of political priorities to receive or keep federal funds. Those priorities include eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, excluding and stigmatizing transgender people, discouraging contraception in favor of natural family planning, and steering patients toward marriage and parenthood rather than offering neutral, patient-centered counseling. Providers who don't comply risk losing their funding altogether.

The coalition argues this is another attempt to use federal dollars to push a political agenda. "We fought to protect Title X during the first Trump administration, and today we are going back to court to defend it again," AG James said. "They may think the eighth time will be the charm, but New York will keep fighting back and protecting every patient's right to access the care they need."

What patients stand to lose

Title X is the only federal grant program dedicated specifically to family planning and related preventive health services. For more than 50 years, it has helped millions of low-income patients access contraception, cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, pregnancy testing and counseling, and other preventive care.

In New York alone, the numbers show how much is at stake: 165 health centers supported by Title X serve more than 250,000 patients, with over two-thirds receiving care at no cost because their incomes fall below the federal poverty line. New York's Department of Health receives approximately $11.1 million a year and routes it to providers and subgrantees. Public Health Solutions, a New York City nonprofit, has been a Title X recipient since the early 1980s. If New York loses this funding, the state health department could be forced to reduce staff and cut contracts starting April 1, 2027.

This isn't the first time restrictive federal rules have shaken the Title X program — earlier rounds of regulatory cuts already shrank the national network of participating clinics.

What to track next

• Court timeline: the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland will weigh the request to block the conditions before the new grant cycle takes effect.
• April 1, 2027: the date New York's Department of Health says staff reductions and contract cuts could begin if funding is lost.
• Your own clinic: ask whether your provider is Title X-funded, and whether services, hours, or fees could shift while the case is pending.