Governor Abbott Asks President Trump To Approve 1115 Waiver For Texas’ Women’s Health Program
Governor Greg Abbott today sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him to approve an 1115 Waiver that would reestablish a federal partnership for Texas’ women’s health program. This program provides unique benefits targeted to low-income women in Texas for family planning and preventive-care services.
Shortly after the President took office, the Governor directed the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to submit a new application for an 1115 Waiver that was previously not renewed under the Obama administration because Texas refused to fund abortion providers or their affiliates. Granting the waiver would reinstate hundreds of millions of dollars that would go directly toward funding women’s health in Texas.
“As you know well, many of the Obama administration’s policies ran directly counter to these values by liberalizing the use of taxpayer funds to support abortion providers or their affiliates,” writes Governor Abbott. “But even worse, in some cases, the Obama administration took punitive action against states like Texas that pursued pro-life policies that did not fall in line with the administration’s agenda. Fortunately, the retaliatory actions taken by the Obama administration can be easily reversed. Reinstating federal funding for Texas’ women’s health program provides an additional opportunity to put those values into action, all while supporting health care access for Texas women.