Governor Mills to Protect Maine Reproductive Health Care Providers After Trump & Congress Hammer Them with Budget Cuts

Governor to propose $2.25 million in State funding in upcoming supplemental budget to offset impact of Federal funding cuts on Maine reproductive health care agencies

Governor Janet Mills announced today that her upcoming supplemental budget proposal will include $2.25 million to support Maine-based reproductive health care providers to offset the impacts of Federal funding cuts implemented by the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans.

The funding for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) and Maine Family Planning (MFP) will support them in their ability to deliver a range of primary care services, such as cancer screenings, birth control and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections that protect the health of people across the state. People's ability to access these services has been jeopardized in Maine and around the country by the President and Congressional Republicans following enactment of the Federal legislation last year that slashed support for these providers.

The Governor's proposal builds upon her record of support for reproductive health care providers in Maine. Last year, she and Democrats in the Legislature delivered $6 million in state funds to providers through her biennial budget and by signing additional legislation, LD 143, into law.

"President Trump and Republicans have made clear that they do not care about the health of Maine people. While I have fought to expand health care to people, they are ripping it away -- and they have cruelly targeted reproductive health care providers in Maine by slashing funding for vital services that have nothing to do with abortion," said Governor Janet Mills. "I won't stand idly by. We will deliver here what the Federal government has taken away, and we will continue to stand up for health care for Maine people."

"Let's be clear about one thing, the attacks coming from the Trump administration and his backers in Congress are designed to punish states like Maine where our reproductive rights and freedoms are firmly protected by law. Governor Mills' action today is a rebuke of this agenda and reflection of the Maine values we all hold dear," said Nicole Clegg, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. "Mainers should be able to access the essential, lifesaving care they need without political interference, full stop. Since July 2025 when HR 1 took effect, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England maintained its commitment to all who walked through our doors. We never passed the harm along to our patients. We are grateful to Governor Mills whose action today is a message of reassurance to our patients who count on us every day for life-saving care."

"On behalf of the nearly 30,000 patients served in 63 sites by Maine Family Planning, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, and the statewide network of family planning clinics, we sincerely thank Governor Mills for so directly demonstrating her commitment to reproductive health care in Maine," said George Hill, President and CEO of Maine Family Planning. "Maine providers and patients are facing a health care crisis due to the Trump Administration and congressional Republicans' vast federal cuts. Governor Mill's supplemental budget proposal would backfill the Medicaid funds that Maine Family Planning and Planned Parenthood Northern New England didn't receive over the past six months, while continuing to serve Medicaid patients at no charge. These funds will provide crucial family planning funding and help ensure Mainers, especially in rural Maine, have increased access to the confidential, high-quality health care they need and deserve."

PPNNE and MFP provide reproductive, primary and behavioral health care services to tens of thousands of patients each year, regardless of a patient's insurance status or ability to pay and provide millions of dollars of discounted and free care annually. For many, they are the first and only medical provider a patient sees in an entire year, and they along with the state's network of reproductive health care providers are critical to Maine's fragile health care infrastructure, especially in rural areas.

Due to the Federal cuts, Maine Family Planning made the decision to shutter primary care services in three rural locations. On the whole, however, both MFP and PPNNE have shielded their patients from the harm caused by the federal funding cuts. Patients in other states have not been so fortunate, and these providers in Maine cannot continue to shoulder the mounting costs of providing care indefinitely without appropriate payment for the services they provide.

Under Governor Mills' leadership, Maine has not only protected but expanded access to critical reproductive health services. The Governor, in collaboration with the Legislature, has enacted laws that prevent protestors from blocking health clinics, that require public and private insurance coverage (PDF) of abortion services, and that made those services available to people in rural and urban areas of Maine.

In 2023, the Governor signed into law a series of bills to protect and expand access to abortion, including legislation that puts the decision about whether to have an abortion later in pregnancy in the hands of women and their doctors -- not politicians or lawyers, ensuring that patients can get care they need, when they need it.

The Governor has also supported significant investments in family planning services in Maine, including a 233 percent increase in Medicaid funding for Family Planning Agency Services, as well as additional investments including $6 million in SFY26 that further bolster these critical services across the state.