Trump administration's proposed budget drops federal funding for Planned Parenthood

The budget proposed by the administration of President Donald Trump would cut off federal funding from Planned Parenthood and prevent the abortion organization from participating in any federal health program.

According to the Huffington Post, the Trump administration's proposed fiscal 2018 budget would prohibit funding for organizations that provide abortions, including Planned Parenthood.

The proposal would prevent the abortion chain from participating in federal health programs such as cancer screening, prevention of the Zika virus, HIV, AIDS testing, programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control, as well as programs to prevent sexual assault.

The language in the proposal goes beyond the legislation pending in the Senate that only excluded Planned Parenthood from Medicaid reimbursements.

Dawn Laguens, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, described the proposal as the "worst budget for women and women's health in a generation."

"It guts programs designed to help women and their families put food on the table, get the medical care they need, and make ends meet. Gimmicks and misdirection cannot cover up a deadly agenda that would hurt women and prevent access to basic health care in the U.S. and across the globe," she said in a statement on Monday.

The proposal was hailed by the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), which noted that the proposed budget would result in a $422 million increase in federal funding for community health centers that do not perform abortions.

"We're encouraged to see that the budget released today prevents federal funds from going to the nation's largest abortion chain, Planned Parenthood," said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser, according to Life News. "Taxpayers should not have to prop up Planned Parenthood's failing, abortion-centered business model," she added.

Dannenfelser noted that Planned Parenthood had recently announced that it will close down 10 facilities in four states. She argued that women will be better served by community health centers and rural health centers that offer preventative care services but not abortions.

Planned Parenthood receives about half a billion dollars from the government each year, but it is prohibited from using the taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions.

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney noted that the new budget proposal would only defund Planned Parenthood if the new Republican healthcare legislation passed recently by the House is also approved by the Senate and signed into law.