Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) signed into law on Wednesday a $90 million infusion of funds for Planned Parenthood clinics to make up for federal funding cuts from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
California lawmakers approved the one-time funding boost on Monday. Newsom said at the bill’s signing ceremony that it has been a “point of pride” to assist Planned Parenthood.
“These cuts were designed to attack and assault Planned Parenthood,” Newsom said. “They were not abortion cuts. They were attacks on wellness screenings. They were attacks on women’s healthcare, period, full stop.”
The OBBBA prohibited states from using federal Medicaid dollars to reimburse non-abortion services for Planned Parenthood patients for one year, with funding to resume in July 2026. California has been leading litigation against the law to claw back the funds.
Anti-abortion advocates have long argued that any federal or state funding for organizations like Planned Parenthood for any procedure or service effectively supports abortion because money is fungible. If costs for pap smears or mammograms are covered by taxpayers, anti-abortion advocates argue, it frees up other funds to be used for abortions.
According to Planned Parenthood’s 2023-24 annual report, the most recent available, the organization’s affiliate clinics provided more than 402,000 abortions, 2.2 million contraceptive services, and 5 million STI tests and treatments nationwide.
Newsom said during his speech that Planned Parenthood is “an extraordinary organization” with 109 clinics throughout his state.
Last fall, California Democrats approved $145 million in funding for Planned Parenthood clinics when they began experiencing financial difficulties from the lack of federal Medicaid reimbursements.
Newsom said that his initial 2026-27 budget proposal for the California legislature included $60 million for Planned Parenthood, which legislators insisted be raised to $90 million.
The governor also said during his speech that patients travel to California from states such as Idaho, which have strict gestational age limits on abortion, to seek the procedure in the Golden State.
Newsom said that keeping clinics in his state’s rural northern areas open “defines the values of the state of California.”
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During the question-and-answer session of Wednesday’s press conference, reporters asked Newsom an array of questions about other issues. Newsom’s wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, became frustrated that they did not ask more questions about women’s health or the Planned Parenthood funding.
“You wonder why we have such a horrific war on women in this country, and that these guys are getting away with it,” Siebel Newsom said, referring to Republicans. “It’s because you don’t seem to care.”
