King County Council unanimously reaffirms support for reproductive health, asks executive to seek local funding after state and federal cuts

The Metropolitan King County Council on May 20 unanimously adopted a motion reaffirming the county’s commitment to reproductive health care and asking the county executive to explore local funding options to replace lost state and federal dollars.

The motion, proposed as Proposed Motion 2025-0139 and moved by Councilmember Dombowski, passed on a 9-0 roll-call vote. The measure “express[es] unwavering support for reproductive freedom” and requests the executive to assess funding alternatives while acknowledging the county’s budget constraints.

The motion follows a May 14 Budget and Fiscal Management briefing used to inform a local response to funding cuts. Sam Porter, council policy staff, told the council the motion asks the county to work with providers, advocates and public health experts to understand and respond to the impact of state and federal reductions.

Public testimony at the May 20 meeting and in the earlier briefing described clinics already strained by shrinking revenues and rising costs. Madeleine Brown, Puget Sound regional organizer for Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates, said the state’s recent cuts included about $8.5 million in workforce investments and that more than $2 million of that funding supported the six safety-net clinics serving King County. Brown also said national policy changes affecting the Title X family planning program have reduced federal support and that material and staffing costs are making items such as IUDs less affordable for patients.

Planned Parenthood and other witnesses warned that cuts could reduce clinic hours, force some clinics to close, and increase wait times for care. Heather Mullen and other individual speakers described how access to timely reproductive services had been critical in their personal medical histories. Advocates cited data showing the Northwest Abortion Access Fund spent $819,000 to assist 757 people between June 2022 and March 2023, with 72% of that aid paying for medical services and 28% for travel and lodging; 45% of people assisted traveled from other states.

Councilmembers from across the aisle voiced support for the motion as a statement of county priorities. Councilmember Balducci described reproductive-care funding as necessary to ensure that legal access translates into actual access, emphasizing that funding shortfalls can produce the same outcome as restricted law. Councilmember Quinn called access to reproductive care “a matter of dignity, equity, and public health.”

The formal action adopted the motion and did not set a specific deadline for the executive’s funding exploration. The motion asks the executive to identify funding options to replace lost state and federal dollars and to work with local partners to protect access, but it also acknowledges the “dire state” of the county’s general fund, as stated in the motion’s text.

Discussion: council members and staff framed the item as a coordinated local response to external funding losses rather than a change in county law. Direction: the council requested the executive examine potential funding streams and report back; no specific reporting date or binding appropriation was set in the motion. Decision: the council approved Proposed Motion 2025-0139 with a 9-0 vote.