California commits $90 million to Planned Parenthood in wake of federal cuts

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) — Planned Parenthood faced crippling funding cuts when the Big Beautiful Bill pushed by President Donald Trump passed last year.

The bill didn’t go after every abortion provider, said Jodi Hicks, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California. Instead, she said the legislation targeted her organization.

“They knew exactly what they were doing,” Hicks said at a Wednesday bill signing ceremony. “They knew the chaos this would create.”

California Democrats fought back with Senate Bill 106. Signed Wednesday by Governor Gavin Newsom, it will provide $90 million from the general fund in grants to Planned Parenthood.

Senate President pro Tempore Monique Limón said in a statement that Planned Parenthood’s centers in the state have lost over $1.1 million per day since the Big Beautiful Bill passed. The Legislative Women’s Caucus supported the bill, with members standing behind a series of speakers at a press conference.

Standing at the lectern, Limón said some 5,200 people have come to California seeking care they were denied in their home state because of the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which eliminated the constitutional right to abortion.

“Here we are, standing strong, standing with Planned Parenthood,” Limón added.

State Senator John Laird, a Santa Cruz Democrat and chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee, wrote the bill. Initially a budget placeholder, it had no movement from March 2025 until January, when it reemerged with amendments for Planned Parenthood grant dollars. It passed both legislative chambers on Monday, despite strong pushback from Republicans.

Democrats said the funding would create a lifeline to people. Planned Parenthood offers more than abortions, they added, pointing to critical cancer screenings.

“This was a direct attack on Planned Parenthood, on women, on reproductive health,” said Assemblymember Mia Bonta, an Oakland Democrat, on Monday.

Assemblymember Steve Bennett, a Ventura Democrat, said he wanted to address the question of why Planned Parenthood was selected to receive the grant funds. He argued the organization is the most effective one in California and has withstood attacks over the past two decades. Bennett added it provides not just the best reproductive health care, but in some cases, the only care.

Assemblymember David Tangipa, a Clovis Republican, said he recently begged Newsom for $3 million for a rural hospital in his district. Offering amendments to the bill, which ultimately failed, Tangipa said Planned Parenthood would get grants while struggling hospitals must seek state loans.

“Why does Planned Parenthood get a $90 million grant?” he asked.

He said one in five hospitals is at risk of closing, arguing that currently in Madera County there is no health facility with labor and delivery services.

Anticipating the governor’s signature on the bill, state Senate Republicans blasted the legislation in a statement earlier this week.

They pointed to a projected $18 billion deficit in the fiscal year 2026-27 budget. Republicans also noted the bill exempts the grants from the state’s Public Records Act.

“Budget bills shrouded in secrecy are an invitation for fraud,” said state Senator Roger Niello, a Fair Oaks Republican and vice chair of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee. “Rushing spending proposals that sidestep transparency and ignore long-term structural challenges is not responsible budgeting.”

According to Republicans, the exemption will allow the state to hide size, scope and identity of recipients from the public eye — a move they claim will worsen accusations of fraud in state health and human services programs.

“California is taking steps to ensure people don’t lose access to the range of services provided by Planned Parenthood,” Newsom said in a statement. “As the Trump administration’s Big Ugly Bill punishes women and community health providers, California continues to stand in support of women’s access to essential health services and reproductive freedom.”