Congress provided $101 million in funding for teen pregnancy prevention programs, which President Trump signed into law as part of a budget bill in February. However, with the 2026 fiscal year nearly complete, approximately $100 million of that appropriated funding has not been distributed, according to a letter from 92 House and Senate members shared with NPR.
The Department of Health and Human Services has spent roughly $500,000 of the obligated $101 million in grants to organizations working with teenagers. Federal grants to approximately 50 nonprofits, universities, and health departments were terminated abruptly in June, with most organizations in the third year of five-year funding cycles. Stephanie McDowell, executive director of Bridgercare in Montana, stated her organization received no advance notice of the funding cuts and now faces the need to reduce staff and scale back educational programming across 21 counties.
Kristin Fairholm, executive director of EyesOpenIowa, another affected organization, reported that the sudden cancellations forced her nonprofit to suspend programs, damaging community trust and relationships with families. Both directors expressed concern that the funding cuts would result in reduced teen access to comprehensive sex education.
The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program was established in 2010 and has been a longstanding target for elimination by the Trump administration and conservative groups. After canceling the grants, HHS issued a new funding opportunity emphasizing abstinence-only sex education. In August, Judge Christopher Cooper of the D.C. District Court ruled that HHS cannot implement these new abstinence-only requirements, noting the funding notice cited research papers that do not exist. The judge’s decision on whether to reinstate terminated grants is pending. Rep. Judy Chu stated that HHS is obligated to spend the money according to Congress’s direction and guidelines.
The teen pregnancy rate in the United States has trended downward in recent decades and reached a record low in 2025. Evidence-based sex education programs have demonstrated success across states with different political leadership. The Department of Health and Human Services did not provide comment to NPR regarding the unspent grants.
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