More than 150 pro-life organizations from across all 50 states are urging the Republican-controlled Congress to strip federal funding from the abortion industry, particularly Planned Parenthood, through the upcoming budget reconciliation bill. Led by Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Pro-Life America, the coalition argues that taxpayer dollars should no longer support abortion providers that benefit largely from Medicaid reimbursements.
A Political Window of Opportunity
The letter from pro-life advocates emphasizes that the 2024 election results—where Republicans secured control of the White House and Congress—provided a mandate for change, including action against what they call “Big Abortion.” The coalition is pushing lawmakers to take advantage of their governing trifecta to cut off public funding for organizations that perform abortions.
“In November, the American people gave a mandate – it is time for change in Washington. Since then, the White House is taking swift action to stop the Biden abortion agenda and cut government waste,” the letter reads.
Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, received nearly $700 million in government reimbursements and grants in 2023, according to its most recent annual report. That figure accounted for 34% of its total revenue. The organization also reported performing almost 393,000 abortions that year—marking a 5% increase from 2022.
Past Efforts to Defund Planned Parenthood
Congressional Republicans have attempted to block federal funding for abortion providers before. In both 2015 and 2017, the GOP successfully passed reconciliation bills prohibiting taxpayer dollars from going to Planned Parenthood and similar organizations, though those efforts ultimately failed due to presidential vetoes and Senate filibusters.
This time, however, pro-life leaders argue the stakes are even higher. They point not only to the impact on unborn children but also to the significant political spending by abortion-rights advocates. Planned Parenthood’s political arm, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, spent $69.5 million during the 2024 election cycle to oppose GOP candidates, including President Donald Trump.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, pro-life groups say Planned Parenthood has doubled down on lobbying against state-level abortion restrictions. Meanwhile, pro-life lawmakers have worked to expand federal abortion funding bans, with Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) reintroducing legislation to defund abortion providers entirely.
The Role of Budget Reconciliation
A key strategy for achieving this defunding effort is through budget reconciliation, a legislative process that allows the House to determine funding priorities before sending a bill to the Senate, where it requires only 51 votes rather than the usual 60 to bypass a filibuster. With 53 Republican seats in the Senate, the pro-life coalition sees a rare opportunity to pass defunding measures that would have previously been blocked.
While the Hyde Amendment already prohibits direct federal funding of abortions in most cases—except for rape, incest, or threats to the mother’s life—many states use their own funds to cover abortions for Medicaid recipients. The pro-life movement wants to expand federal restrictions and eliminate all funding streams to providers like Planned Parenthood.
A Unified Pro-Life Push
Alongside SBA Pro-Life America, organizations such as Advancing American Freedom, AFA Action, CatholicVote, the Family Research Council, and seven Wyoming state lawmakers have signed onto the effort.
SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser reinforced the coalition’s demands, stating:
“Abortion is the leading cause of death in America, and for too long, hardworking Americans have been forced to underwrite it. The pro-life movement is fully united around getting taxpayers out of the brutal abortion industry, which kills 1 million babies and harms countless mothers each year.”
She also criticized the hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds that Planned Parenthood receives annually, calling it "unconscionable" and insisting that the current Republican Congress has both the support and the responsibility to defund the organization.
With multiple bills in both chambers of Congress aiming to cut off abortion provider funding, pro-life activists hope 2025 will mark the year their efforts finally succeed. Whether the GOP can pass and sustain such measures remains to be seen, but the coalition is making it clear that they expect action.
