Attorney General Nick Brown announced Tuesday that Washington has joined 23 other states and the District of Columbia in filing a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, challenging a new law that blocks Medicaid funding for services provided by Planned Parenthood health centers.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the lawsuit targets a provision in the federal budget law signed by President Trump on July 4.
Known as the “Defund Provision,” it prohibits federal Medicaid payments to certain organizations — most notably Planned Parenthood — that meet a set of narrowly tailored criteria.
Critics say the law was designed specifically to exclude Planned Parenthood and punish it for advocating for abortion access.
Brown and other state attorneys general argue that the provision violates the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause, the Spending Clause, and the ban on bills of attainder.
The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from implementing the law.
In Washington, where nearly half of Planned Parenthood patients rely on Medicaid to access care, the impact could be severe.
The state estimates the law would strip $11.8 million in Medicaid reimbursements from Planned Parenthood health centers in Washington alone, affecting 30 clinics and thousands of patients who depend on them for birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing, and other preventive health services.
“The broad attempt to cut Washingtonians’ access to Planned Parenthood means more unscreened cancers, more untreated sexually transmitted diseases, and more unintended pregnancies,” said Brown. “The Trump Administration’s punitive actions will have real ramifications for Washingtonians.”
While Governor Bob Ferguson has pledged to use state funding to offset the loss of federal money, Brown emphasized that doing so diverts limited state resources.
“My office will do everything it can to stop this unlawful stripping of Medicaid funding,” he said.
Planned Parenthood separately filed its own lawsuit challenging the same provision.
Last week, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in that case, halting enforcement of the Medicaid funding ban and ruling that the law likely violates constitutional protections.
The provision was part of a sweeping budget and tax bill passed by Congress under pressure from the White House.
Proponents claim the measure is intended to prevent public funds from indirectly supporting abortion providers.
However, under longstanding federal law — including the Hyde Amendment — Medicaid funds are already barred from covering abortion services except in limited cases.
The coalition of states argues the new provision is not about abortion funding but a politically motivated effort to dismantle access to reproductive and preventive healthcare.
Despite arguments by some lawmakers that other community health centers could absorb Planned Parenthood patients, multiple research studies cited by the states indicate that alternative providers lack the capacity to meet the resulting demand.
Joining Washington in the lawsuit are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.