Rep. Torres and Sen. Gillibrand Lead NY Delegation in Urging HHS to Restore Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants and Release FY2026 Funds

Resources / Health Share on Rep. Torres and Sen. Gillibrand Lead NY Delegation in Urging HHS to Restore Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants and Release FY2026 Funds Sep 24, 2026 Health Today, Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand led a follow-up letter, joined by Representatives Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-7), Grace Meng (NY-6), Jerrold Nadler (NY-12), Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), and Timothy M. Kennedy (NY-26), to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. , urging the Department to restore terminated Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grants in New York State and release FY2026 funding through the existing awards. The letter builds on the delegation’s August 5 letter, which called on HHS to reinstate grants for programs in good standing or provide another administrative remedy to prevent disruption of services. Since then, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction blocking HHS from implementing its new TPP policy and the FY2026 funding opportunities developed under that policy. With those funding opportunities blocked, there is currently no operative mechanism through which HHS can make FY2026 awards. The court has suspended the September 30 expiration of the FY2026 TPP funds while the case proceeds, but grantees still need access to that funding to sustain their operations. Rep. Torres and his colleagues are urging HHS to take the most straightforward path available by restoring the terminated grants. The affected grantees were selected through competitive processes and were in good standing when their grants were terminated. In New York State, the terminated Tier 1 grants provided more than $4.3 million annually and served approximately 19,000 young people each year. The letter also raises concerns about the court’s findings on evidence HHS cited in support of its new TPP policy, including references to public health studies that appeared either not to exist or not to support the propositions for which they were cited. The delegation is asking HHS to immediately restore the terminated grants for programs in good standing and release the corresponding FY2026 funds through those awards. The letter also requests that the Department provide Congress and affected grantees with a written plan and timeline for obligating the full appropriation. The full letter reads (PDF here ): “We write as members of the New York congressional delegation to follow up on our August 5 letter regarding the termination of Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Program grants in New York State. In that letter, we urged HHS to reinstate grants for programs in good standing or provide another administrative remedy to prevent further disruption of evidence-based services. “Since then, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a preliminary injunction preventing HHS from implementing its new TPP policy and the FY2026 funding opportunities developed under that policy. We understand that with the new policy and NOFOs blocked, there is currently no operative funding opportunity through which HHS can make FY2026 awards. “While the court has suspended the September 30 expiration of the FY2026 TPP funds while the case proceeds, grantees still need access to those funds to sustain their operations and serve their communities. Congress appropriated this funding to support effective prevention services for young people. Allowing it to remain undistributed would undermine congressional intent, waste prior federal investments, and further disrupt services in the communities Congress intended these funds to reach. “Given the ongoing disruption to services and the absence of an operative funding opportunity, we urge HHS to take the most straightforward pathway available by restoring the previously terminated grants and releasing FY2026 funding through the existing awards. These grantees were selected through competitive processes, established programs and community partnerships around federally approved awards, and were in good standing when their grants were terminated. Restoration would allow HHS to obligate the funds promptly in light of the prohibited development and implementation of another funding process. “Immediate restoration would also prevent further disruption to evidence-based services across New York. The terminated Tier 1 grants in New York provided more than $4.3 million annually and collectively served approximately 19,000 young people each year. Grantees worked through schools, public health agencies, community-based organizations, and youth-serving providers to deliver medically accurate, age-appropriate, and evidence-based programming responsive to local needs. “We are also concerned by questions raised by the court regarding evidence cited in support of HHS’s new TPP policy. The court identified references to public health studies that appeared either not to exist or not to support the propos