A federal lawsuit in Pennsylvania challenges a new Trump administration policy that adds an "alignment review" by presidential appointees to Title X family planning grant applications. Plaintiffs, including the Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania, argue the rule unlawfully politicizes funding. The policy threatens over $12.6 million in annual funding for Pennsylvania providers serving 160,000 low-income patients, and conflicts with existing regulations on health equity and transgender care.
Title X alignment review process
- ▪The new Title X review process requires presidential appointees to evaluate whether applications match agency priorities before assessing them on their merits, with no opportunity for appeal
- ▪The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services added an "alignment review" step to the 2027 Title X Notice of Funding Opportunity published in April 2026
Pennsylvania reproductive health lawsuit
- ▪Federal Judge Jennifer Wilson, who was nominated to the bench by Donald Trump in 2019, will hear the Pennsylvania Title X lawsuit
- ▪The Pennsylvania Title X lawsuit names the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and other agency staff as defendants
- ▪A lawsuit was filed in the federal Middle District of Pennsylvania challenging the Trump administration's new Title X alignment review process
Title X program funding
- ▪Title X funds are legally prohibited from being used for abortions
- ▪Nationwide, the most recent data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows Title X grantees served nearly 2.8 million people
- ▪Four Title X grantees in Pennsylvania receive more than $12.6 million annually to serve more than 160,000 patients
Biden-Trump regulatory conflicts
- ▪The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website states that ending "health equity" is a priority, while current Title X regulations require grantees to "advance health equity."
- ▪Current Title X regulations mandate that grantees ensure transgender people have access to their programming, conflicting with the Trump administration's opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives
Family Health Council services
- ▪The Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania serves more than 31,000 people across a 24-county region
- ▪The Family Health Council of Central Pennsylvania has received Title X funding since the establishment of the federal program in 1970
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