Three Energy and Commerce Democratic leaders sent a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar today requesting a briefing and answers on radical changes the Trump Administration is making to the Title X Family Planning Services Grants program. In February, HHS announced a number of changes to the Title X program suggesting the Trump Administration is prioritizing political ideology over the well-being of the women and families across the country that depend on the family planning program.
The letter was signed by Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Gene Green (D-TX), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO).
“This Administration should be working to ensure that Title X patients receive comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services instead of pursuing ideological priorities that will not best serve all patients," the Democrats wrote to Secretary Azar.
In the letter, the Democrats express a series of concerns over changes to the Title X program including de-emphasizing FDA-approved contraceptive care in favor of “natural family planning methods," appearing to encourage the participation of abstinence-only providers and crisis pregnancy centers, discouraging the participation of comprehensive reproductive health centers in the program, removing requirements to justify failure to offer the full range of FDA-approved contraceptives, and shifting final Title X grant decision-making authority to Valerie Huber, the former President and CEO of a national organization that promotes youth abstinence education over FDA-approved contraceptive methods.
The Democrats are requesting a response to their questions and a briefing to Committee staff no later than April 17, 2018.
