Ramesh Ponnuru, Columnist

Trump Can Act Against Planned Parenthood

There's no need to wait for Congress. The president can issue an executive order anytime.

February 13, 2017 at 1:30 PM UTC

Ramesh Ponnuru is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is the editor of National Review and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

They are waiting.
Photographer: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images

Provide news feedback or report an error

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

This article is for subscribers only.

Controversial executive orders have been a hallmark of Donald Trump’s young presidency, but it’s worth noting that there is one that he has so far refrained from issuing. During the presidential campaign, Trump said he would “defund” -- that is, stop providing federal funding to -- Planned Parenthood. He can advance that goal by executive order if he wants.

The federal government does not generally pay for abortions. But the government is the largest source of funds for Planned Parenthood, which performs more abortions than any other organization in the U.S. The second fact has made opponents of abortion want to change the first fact.