Fed funding of pediatrics group questioned over its gender ideology stance

By Tate Rosentreter
The Center Square

Parental rights group the American Parents Coalition is urging Congress to review federal funding of the American Academy of Pediatrics, alleging that the organization prioritizes politics and gender ideology before children’s health while using tax dollars.

Executive director of American Parents Coalition Alleigh Marré told The Center Square that “President [Donald] Trump’s executive order directing agencies to cut federal funding related to transgender medical interventions on children established a clear boundary in response to mounting evidence that these interventions carry irreversible and detrimental consequences.

“Rather than reevaluate their position in light of emerging evidence and shifting international standards, the [American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)] doubled down, continuing to publicly support what it calls ‘gender affirming care,’ criticize the Administration, and engage in legal and advocacy efforts opposing these policies,” Marré said.

“Their actions are not only counter to the growing evidence and data but are openly adversarial and in direct conflict with federal policy guidance,” Marré said.

The AAP has yet to respond to The Center Square’s request for comment.

American Parents Coalition sent a letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce urging Congress to “examine the federal funding received” by the AAP.

When reached for comment, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie told The Center Square: “It is our duty as Members of Congress to support our most vulnerable Americans and ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to fund life-altering gender transition procedures for children.”

“The Committee has a consistent track record of not only protecting our most vulnerable Americans, but also working tirelessly to ensure federal taxpayer dollars are being well spent,” Guthrie said.

“During reconciliation, our Committee included language to prohibit taxpayer dollars from being spent on medically unnecessary care for children,” Guthrie explained.

“After being Byrded out in the Senate during the reconciliation process, House Republicans passed the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act in December – a bill that restricts federal Medicaid dollars from funding certain gender transition procedures for minors,” Guthrie said.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions has not yet responded to The Center Square’s request for comment by phone.

According to the American Parents Coalition’s letter, the AAP continues to “recommend puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones as ‘reversible’ and ‘partially reversible’ treatments for minors,” despite medical reports exposing the harm done by such treatments.

The AAP also appears to exclude parents from their child’s medical care, as evidenced by the Adolescent Health Care Toolkit, the letter said.

This toolkit “includes training materials distributed to [the AAP’s] 67,000 member physicians instructing pediatricians to conduct confidential conversations with minors about sexual activity, gender identity, and emergency contraception, specifically highlighting how to bypass parental involvement and intentionally withhold information from parents,” the letter stated.

AMarré told The Center Square that “parents inherently believe, and want to believe, that physicians have their children’s best interest at heart.”

“That trust is foundational to pediatric care,” Marré said. “When political ideology becomes embedded in medical practice, it replaced evidence-based medicine with activism and places physicians in conflict with their core responsibility.

“Children are especially vulnerable because they rely entirely on their parents and trusted adults to make informed, objective decisions on their behalf,” Marré said.

According to the American Parents Coalition’s letter, the AAP received approximately $19 million in HHS grants in fiscal year 2025.

The letter said the Trump administration terminated “seven multimillion-dollar grants, citing the AAP’s misalignment with federal priorities,” but a federal judge subsequently “ordered the restoration of nearly $12 million in January 2026 and continues to receive federal funding in FY2026.”