FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 23, 2017
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, 202-344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org  

White House Budget Devastating to the Poor & Low-Income

Statement from Clare Coleman, President & CEO of NFPRHA

WASHINGTON, DC – "NFPRHA is deeply troubled by President Trump’s fiscal year 2018 budget request released today, which calls for cutting Medicaid more than $627 billion over 10 years. If enacted, President Trump’s approach would be devastating to poor and low-income people who need Medicaid coverage to access the health care they need. The president’s budget also calls for flat funding the Title X family planning program, which has not received any additional service delivery funding for seven straight years. Additionally, the budget would seek to prohibit any funding in the Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations bills for certain entities that provide abortions, including Planned Parenthood.

“Together, Medicaid and Title X-funded services help millions of women and men access high-quality, evidence-based family planning services – preventive health care they need to stay healthy. For many, it is the only health care they receive each year. 

“The president's proposal advances congressional proposals that, if enacted, would cut more than $627 billion from Medicaid, alter the structure and financing of the program and dismantle the provider network, deepening a crisis in public health, which has suffered from neglect and ideologically motivated attacks in recent years.

“The government has an essential role in protecting and promoting the public health, in partnership with a diverse network of providers. On behalf of the family planning safety net, we stand in opposition to any budget that seeks to exact harm on poor, low-income, and vulnerable individuals in our country.”

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The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) is a membership organization representing providers and administrators committed to helping people get the family planning education and care they need to make the best choices for themselves and their loved ones. NFPRHA works to enhance the ability of thousands of nurse practitioners, doctors, and other health professionals to provide high-quality family planning care through training and advocacy. For more information, visit nationalfamilyplanning.org.