The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) — the nation’s largest association of OB-GYN providers with over 60,000 members — announced this week it will no longer accept federal funds for any of its programs or contracts.
The move, first reported by Axios, marks a rare and high-profile break with the Trump administration. ACOG appears to be the first nationwide physician organization to fully reject federal funding since President Donald Trump launched his sweeping campaign to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across government agencies.
ACOG says DEI is a core value in its mission to combat systemic racism and inequities in medical care. In a statement to HuffPost, the group said new federal funding rules now undermine its ability to meet those goals and deliver “timely and evidence-based” medical guidance.
“After careful deliberation, ACOG has made an organization-wide decision to stop accepting federal funding for all ACOG programs and activities for current contracts,” the statement read. “Recent changes in federal funding laws and regulations significantly impact ACOG’s program goals, policy positions, and ability to provide timely and evidence-based guidance and recommendations for care.”
The group declined to detail how the funding loss might affect services but stressed its commitment to improving patient care and health outcomes. While cutting federal funding ties, ACOG says it will continue to engage the administration on policy issues where interests align.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields defended Trump’s actions, telling HuffPost: “Protecting the civil rights and expanding opportunities for all Americans is a key priority of the Trump administration, which is why he took decisive actions to terminate unlawful DEI preferences in the federal government.”
Tensions between ACOG and the administration have simmered since the Supreme Court — with Trump’s appointees cementing a conservative majority — overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. That decision triggered a wave of state-level abortion bans, further straining relations between reproductive health providers and federal policymakers.