A Majority of Washington's Democratic Legislators Urge Restoration of Funding for Safety Net Abortion Providers
Updated September 3, 2025
To:
Governor Ferguson,
Speaker Jinkins,
Majority Leader Pedersen,
Chair Robinson,
Chair Ormsby,
We, the undersigned legislators, write on behalf of our communities, standing in fierce support of safety net abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood and Cedar River Clinics. Funding to keep safety net abortion providers' doors open is paramount to our constituents, and we urge our colleagues to restore funding to the Abortion Access Project, use state dollars to backfill lost federal Medicaid dollars if the provision to defund Planned Parenthood is enacted, and fill new funding gaps in Title X grant funding.
Despite our strong state laws, Washington is not safe from federal attacks, and our state’s health care safety net will unravel without continued investment. With state and federal cuts combined, sexual and reproductive safety net providers in Washington will lose around $17 million annually, a crushing amount that will close health centers. Congress just barred Planned Parenthood from receiving federal Medicaid dollars. Donald Trump also slashed federal Title X funds in half, which created a $2 million gap per year for clinics in Washington. Piled on top of these federal attacks, safety net reproductive health providers received an historic 55 percent cut in state funding for the Abortion Access Project, cutting another $4.25 million annually from providers. The over $17 million in state and federal cuts reduce Planned Parenthood’s clinical services budget by 33%.
The Abortion Access Project has been critical in protecting access to abortion care and supporting providers in these difficult times amid increased costs, inadequate reimbursement rates, and struggling to compete against large hospital systems. This funding has helped maintain the health care provider workforce, fortify security systems, and support patients’ access to care as providers are under increased threats. To stay afloat, safety net providers need state lawmakers to restore previous funding levels to the Abortion Access Project.
As abortion providers are cutting budgets to accommodate the devastating Abortion Access Project cuts, Planned Parenthood affiliates are preparing for another existential threat: a Congressional defund from the Medicaid program. This attack from the federal government would impact 43,000 Medicaid patients who rely on Planned Parenthood in Washington. They will likely lose access to care – including birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, and more. Research confirms that other safety net health care providers simply cannot absorb the resulting flood of patients who would no longer be able to access Planned Parenthood, threatening to double or triple contraceptive and STI patient loads at Federally Qualified Health Centers. Patients would have nowhere to turn and lose access to contraceptive or STI care entirely in Washington state. We are in strong alignment with Governor Ferguson’s pledge to backfill approximately $11 million in lost federal Medicaid funding if this provision goes into effect.
Safety net family planning providers cannot continue to serve patients at present levels without state investment, and if Washington does not take action to restore funding, health outcomes in our state will plummet and the state will ultimately pay the price tag. A Washington without safety net reproductive health providers would be an unhealthy and expensive state, and any lack of investment in the family planning safety net care only exacerbates the disparities experienced by Medicaid patients and patients with low incomes, who are disproportionately Black, Indigenous, and Latinx due to centuries of racist health care policies. Our ability to ensure Washington’s financial stability depends on making smart investments that support our communities and keep Washingtonians healthy.
Our budget is a statement of values, and we want to make it clear that we know our communities rely on the trusted care of safety net reproductive health providers. We applaud Governor Ferguson acting swiftly to backfill the federal Medicaid dollars and his commitment to restore funding to the Abortion Access Project. As legislators, we are dedicated to keeping safety net abortion providers afloat by advocating for $21.5 million in the upcoming supplemental budget to ensure Washingtonians do not lose access to sexual and reproductive health care.
Sincerely,
Senator Derek Stanford, 1st Legislative District
Representative Shelley Koba, 1st Legislative District
Representative Natasha Hill, 3rd Legislative District
Representative Timm Ormsby, 3rd Legislative District
Senator Marcus Riccelli, 3rd Legislative District
Representative Zach Hall, 5th Legislative District
Representative Lisa Callan, 5th Legislative District
Senator Victoria Hunt, 5th Legislative District
Senator Adrian Cortes, 18th Legislative District
Representative Strom Peterson, 21st Legislative District
Senator Marko Liias, 21st Legislative District
Representative Beth Doglio, 22nd Legislative District
Representative Lisa Parshley, 22nd Legislative District
Senator Jessica Bateman, 22nd Legislative District
Representative Greg Nance, 23rd Legislative District
Representative Adam Bernbaum, 24th Legislative District
Senator Mike Chapman, 24th Legislative District
Representative Adison Richards, 26th Legislative District
Senator Deborah Krishnadasan, 26th Legislative District
Senator Yasmin Trudeau, 27th Legislative District
Representative Mari Leavitt, 28th Legislative District
Representative Dan Bronoske, 28th Legislative District
Senator T’wina Nobles, 28th Legislative District
Representative Jamila Taylor, 30th Legislative District
Senator Claire Wilson, 30th Legislative District
Representative Lauren Davis, 32nd Legislative District
Representative Cindy Ryu, 32nd Legislative District
Representative Edwin Obras, 33rd Legislative District
Senator Tina Orwall, 33rd Legislative District
Representative Brianna Thomas, 34th Legislative District
Senator Emily Alvarado, 34th Legislative District
Representative Liz Berry, 36th Legislative District
Representative Julia Reed, 36th Legislative District
Representative Chipalo Street, 37th Legislative District
Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, 37th Legislative District
Senator Rebecca Saldaña, 37th Legislative District
Representative Mary Fosse, 38th Legislative District
Representative Debra Lekanoff, 40th Legislative District
Representative Alex Ramel, 40th Legislative District
Senator Liz Lovelett, 40th Legislative District
Representative Janice Zahn, 41st Legislative District
Representative My-Linh Thai, 41st Legislative District
Senator Lisa Wellman, 41st Legislative District
Representative Alicia Rule, 42nd Legislative District
Representative Joe Timmons, 42nd Legislative District
Senator Sharon Shewmake, 42nd Legislative District
Representative Shaun Scott, 43rd Legislative District
Representative April Berg, 44th Legislative District
Senator John Lovick, 44th Legislative District
Representative Roger Goodman, 45th Legislative District
Senator Manka Dhingra, 45th Legislative District
Representative Gerry Pollet, 46th Legislative District
Representative Darya Farivar, 46th Legislative District
Senator Javier Valdez, 46th Legislative District
Representative Chris Stearns, 47th Legislative District
Representative Amy Walen, 48th Legislative District
Representative Osman Salahuddin, 48th Legislative District
Senator Vandana Slatter, 48th Legislative District
Representative Monica Stonier, 49th Legislative District
Representative Sharon Wylie, 49th Legislative District
Senator Annette Cleveland, 49th Legislative District
