Judge blocks Planned Parenthood ‘defund’ provision for 22 states, including Washington

A federal judge, Indira Talwani, has again blocked a federal Medicaid rule that bars funding for Planned Parenthood and other reproductive-health providers, granting a preliminary injunction for 22 states and D.C. The states argue the Trump administration violated the Constitution’s spending clause by imposing unclear and abrupt new Medicaid conditions in a recent budget reconciliation law. The provision has already forced clinic closures and disrupted care nationwide.

Talwani ruled that the states have standing because the policy directly increases their costs and burdens, and she found they are likely to succeed on the merits. She ordered Medicaid funds to continue flowing normally — including to clinics labeled “prohibited entities” — while the case proceeds. The injunction is on pause for 7 days and is expected to be appealed.

The ruling differs from a separate Planned Parenthood lawsuit, which the states’ attorneys argue on different grounds; an appeals court previously allowed the restriction to take effect in that case. Legal scholar Mary Ziegler says the states’ spending-clause arguments are stronger because federal law requires clear, unambiguous conditions for Medicaid participation.

The Medicaid defunding provision, set to expire in July 2026 unless extended, has become a flashpoint: Democratic officials and reproductive-rights groups call it harmful and unconstitutional, while anti-abortion groups praise it as a long-sought policy victory. The issue is expected to feature prominently in upcoming election debates.