ACLU drops lawsuit against Trump administration after Planned Parenthood federal funding restored
“I don’t know anything about that,” President Trump said
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed to drop its lawsuit against the Trump administration – following Planned Parenthood and other similar groups having received federal funding that had been frozen.
Last year, pending an investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services paused $27.5 million in funding for 16 organizations, citing potential violations of federal civil rights laws. The ACLU then sued the administration over the cuts.
On Tuesday, the ACLU filed to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit, citing the restoration of funds, The Hill news outlet reported.
“We are relieved all of our members now have access to their promised funds, but we know the fight for contraceptive access in this country goes on. We will continue to stand up for our members and the essential care they provide to millions of individuals,” National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association President and CEO Clare Coleman said in a statement.
On Wednesday, President Trump and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. told reporters that they were unaware of the funds being restored.
“I don’t know anything about that,” Trump said, followed by Kennedy, who said, “I have not heard that.”
The Trump administration had paused 22 federal Title X grants, according to the ACLU. Some centers closed after the grants were revoked, while Planned Parenthood said 200 of its sites risked closure because of Medicaid funding cuts.
“When the Trump administration withheld critical Title X family planning funding, it blatantly violated federal law and left hundreds of sites unable to provide Title X-funded services,” said Brigitte Amiri, deputy director of the Reproductive Freedom Project at the ACLU.