A federal judge in Massachusetts has intervened to block a key element of President Donald Trump’s recently signed tax and spending package that would have stripped Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood for one year.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a temporary restraining order on Monday, halting enforcement of a provision buried within the administration’s sweeping “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which was signed into law on July 4.
The contested measure would deny Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide, citing their connection to abortion services—despite federal funds already being prohibited from paying for such procedures.
The legal challenge was brought forward by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the League of Massachusetts and the Association of Utah.
The lawsuit alleges that the provision was crafted specifically to penalize Planned Parenthood for offering services that are lawful and not funded by Medicaid.
“The new law targets Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its member health care providers in order to punish them for lawful activity,” the plaintiffs argued, emphasizing that abortion services are handled outside of federal funding streams.
In its defense, the Trump administration maintains the provision is a legitimate attempt to prevent taxpayer dollars from indirectly supporting abortion-related operations.