Sen. Hirono: “Over 2.7 million patients across the country, and tens of thousands in Hawaii, rely on Title X and I will continue fighting to ensure everyone can continue to access the critical family planning care they need and deserve.”
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) released the following statement condemning the Trump Administration’s decision to freeze nearly $35 million in reproductive health care funding distributed through Title X Family Planning Program grants:
“For over fifty years, the Title X Family Planning Program has helped ensure that millions of patients across the country have access to essential reproductive care, including wellness exams, cancer screenings, birth control, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases. This program helps provide crucial health services to all, regardless of income, background, or insurance status.
“The last time he was in office, Trump implemented a dangerous gag rule on providers receiving Title X funding, sowing chaos across the country and forcing Hawaii and other states to cover millions in lost federal family planning funding. Now, he’s trying to do it again by withholding all Title X funds from Hawaii’s clinics. Hundreds of thousands of people in Hawaii and across the country will suffer because of his actions, particularly vulnerable groups such as low-income and rural communities.
“While Trump and MAGA Republicans have made clear that they will do anything to get rid of our reproductive freedoms and attack our fundamental rights, Democrats are working to protect Americans’ access to family planning services and essential health care. Over 2.7 million patients across the country, and tens of thousands in Hawaii, rely on Title X and I will continue fighting to ensure everyone can continue to access the critical family planning care they need and deserve.”
In 2019, the Trump Administration implemented a dangerous gag rule that prohibited providers who received Title X funds from informing patients about the full range of reproductive health care options available to them, including abortions. This resulted in Hawaii’s withdrawal from the Title X program and tens of thousands of women in Hawaii losing access to critical family planning services. The Biden Administration rescinded Trump’s gag rule in November 2021, and Title X funding returned to Hawaii in January 2022.
As of April 1, 2025, Trump has blocked Title X funding entirely in seven states, including Hawaii, California, Maine, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, and Utah. In Hawaii, Title X funding supports 30 clinics and nearly 140 health care workers that serve more than 12,000 patients across the state.
The Title X Family Planning Program is the only federal program dedicated to providing comprehensive family planning and preventive health services. Millions of Americans rely on the program for essential health care. In 2023 alone, over 2.7 million patients received family planning services through Title X.
Senator Hirono has previously introduced and advocated on behalf of the Expanding Access to Family Planning Act, legislation to protect access to critical reproductive health care services—like birth control, cancer screenings and more—by providing a consistent and strong source of funding for the Title X Family Planning Program.
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