$86 Million in Teen Pregnancy Prevention Money Went to One Contractor, a Lawsuit Alleges
For more than a decade, the federal Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program sent about $100 million a year in competitive grants to dozens of organizations running evidence based programs for teens and families. In June, the Trump administration canceled all of those grants, saying they normalize sexual activity for minors. Now a legal complaint alleges that $86 million of the program’s money was rushed out to a single contractor, Guidehouse, on the last day of the fiscal year.
Guidehouse describes itself as a “global AI-led professional services firm” and is owned by the private equity firm Bain Capital. Its website has no mention of teen pregnancy and no obvious experience in the area, according to NPR’s reporting. The award came from the Administration for Children and Families, not the office that usually runs the program.
The Revolving Door Question
The complaint also raises questions about connections between the contractor and the agency. One of the top officials at the Administration for Children and Families, Cody Inman, came to the Trump administration from Guidehouse, and at least two other HHS officials also worked there, NPR reported. HHS declined to comment, citing the litigation. Guidehouse did not respond by NPR’s deadline.
The diversion allegation remains just that, an allegation from a legal complaint, and the administration has not had to answer it in court. But the optics are driving the public affairs debate: a program built on competitive, evidence based grants, replaced by a single award to a firm with no track record in the field, decided on the fiscal year’s final day. It is the kind of contracting story that invites federal watchdogs to ask how agencies handle public money and power.
What the Program Did
Before the cancellation, the program funded workshops and school programs tailored to local communities, all required by law to be evidence based. A replacement request for proposals emphasizing abstinence was blocked in court. The dispute over the program’s future is playing out as civic groups across the country recalibrate how they engage Washington, from protest to participation.
