Attorney General Nessel Sues Trump Administration for Blocking Planned Parenthood from Receiving Medicaid Funding

LANSING — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today joined a coalition of 22 states in suing the Trump Administration (PDF) over the sweeping budget reconciliation law (“Big Beautiful Bill”), specifically the “Defund Provision,” signed by President Donald Trump earlier this month. This provision, which targets Planned Parenthood, is a direct attack on the healthcare access of millions of low-income Americans, disproportionally affecting women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities of color. This provision specifically blocks Medicaid reimbursements for essential healthcare services, such as cancer screenings, birth control, and STI testing, at Planned Parenthood health centers. Attorney General Nessel, alongside the coalition, asks the court to enjoin the Trump Administration from implementing this devastating and unlawful provision, which will lead to widespread disruptions in preventative care and increase healthcare costs if allowed to stand. The States should not be co-opted into executing this unconstitutional provision. 

“Planned Parenthood clinics are a critical part of Michigan’s healthcare system, delivering vital services to communities across the state,” Nessel said. “The Trump Administration’s push to strip funding from these providers is an unlawful political tactic aimed at undermining care, even in states like Michigan, where the right to reproductive freedom is protected by our constitution. I remain committed to standing up for Michiganders’ ability to access the healthcare they need from the providers they trust.”

The “Big Beautiful Bill” is a sweeping, Republican-led law signed by the President in early July. Among its many provisions, the Defund Provision blocks federal Medicaid funding for essential medical services— such as cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing, and wellness exams — provided at Planned Parenthood health centers.

Defunding Planned Parenthood threatens at least 200 health centers nationwide, including 10 clinics in Michigan, affecting healthcare for more than 1.1 million people, many of whom are unlikely to be able to receive care elsewhere. Despite claims by Republican lawmakers that other healthcare 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 healthcare.

In today’s filing, the coalition argue that the Defund Provision, which prohibits Medicaid reimbursements for Planned Parenthood, is impermissibly ambiguous and violates Congress’ Spending Clause power. They highlight that the provision is likely to increase health risks, including delayed diagnoses of STIs and cancer and increased unintended pregnancies, which will result not only in widespread and devastating effects on the health of our most vulnerable residents, but also increased costs of $52 million over the next ten years in Medicaid programs as projected by the Congressional Budget Office. They urge the court to enjoin the Trump Administration from implementing the provision in order 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.

In filing this lawsuit, Attorney General Nessel is joined by the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, along with the state of Pennsylvania.

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