Connecticut Gov. intends to give $10.4 million to Planned Parenthood

(LifeSiteNews) — Connecticut Democrat Gov. Ned Lamont has announced he intends to give $10.4 million of taxpayers’ money to Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, in order to compensate for the abortion giant’s lost federal funds.

The CT Mirror reported the governor’s latest spending proposal, part of $41 million to make up for lost federal funds for a variety of “services,” bringing the total committed for that purpose up to almost $168 million. The Connecticut General Assembly has made a total of $500 million available to plug holes in federal funding.

“It is a shame that the federal government is cutting back on these services that provide a safety net for those who are most in need and which ultimately support the health and safety of our entire country,” Lamont said. “These are services that must continue to be supported, and here in Connecticut we will stand behind them.”

Republican House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora and Senate Republican Leader Stephen Harding took issue with the announcement, declaring that while “we support replacing lost federal funding that directly helps families – such as SNAP food assistance when the government stopped sending families their benefits and mitigating health insurance costs in the short term amid federal dysfunction – other elements of this proposal raise serious questions.”

“Setting aside $4.7 million for long-term community outreach to help residents understand updated SNAP work requirements unrelated to the shutdown, $1.5 million to cover operational expenses for new DSS initiatives while this agency refuses to address fraud and abuse, and $10 million to cover Planned Parenthood’s expenses dating back to last summer and extending into next year – these are policy initiatives that could have, and should have, been handled in the regular legislative session beginning February 4th,” they said. “We hope this isn’t a preview of what’s to come. … An emergency reserve should be reserved for genuine emergencies, not used as a vehicle for programs that belong in the normal budget process.”

However, Democrats control both chambers of the legislature by comfortable margins, so the funding is likely to prevail.

Within weeks of returning to office, President Donald Trump began enforcing the Hyde amendment against direct funding of most abortions, reinstated the Mexico City Policy which forbids non-governmental organizations from using taxpayer dollars for most abortions abroad, and cut millions in pro-abortion subsidies by freezing U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) spending. 

In March, the Trump administration froze Title X “family planning” grants to nonprofits it said violated its executive orders on immigration and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including Planned Parenthood affiliates in nine states.

In July, Trump signed into law his controversial “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (BBB), a wide-ranging policy package that includes a one-year ban on federal tax dollars going through Medicaid to entities that commit abortions for reasons other than rape, incest, or supposed threats to the mother’s life. 

These cuts have significantly impacted the bottom line of Planned Parenthood, which is currently in court to try to stop the federal government from cutting it off. According to Operation Rescue, 54 abortion facilities shut their doors in 2024, 36 of which were Planned Parenthood locations.

Last year, Planned Parenthood’s most recent annual report revealed that its affiliates across the nation took in $699.3 million in government “health services” reimbursements and grants, accounting for 39 percent of its total revenue during that period. At the same time, the abortion chain committed 392,715 abortions – yet its non-abortion activities, such as pap tests and cancer screenings, continued to decline as percentages of its overall business. 

Nationally, Republicans have proposed several measures to fully cut off Planned Parenthood’s government funding: the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, which permanently bans federal funds from being used for abortion; and the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, which disqualifies Planned Parenthood and its affiliates specifically.

However, they would require 60 votes to make it through the Senate under longstanding filibuster rules. Trump has urged Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster so they can pass a wider range of legislation with their narrow majority, but so far GOP leaders have resisted, fearful of the transformative policies Democrats could push through as a result the next time they regain power.