Exclusive — Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso Says ‘Time to Rein in Rogue Judges’ After Obama Appointee Blocks Defunding Planned Parenthood

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) issued a scathing rebuke from the Senate floor on Thursday morning against Democrats “using the courts as a political tool,” after a district judge appointed by former President Barack Obama used her power to block Congress’s effort to defund abortion giant Planned Parenthood. 

Barrasso echoed the calls of his fellow Republicans by demanding the end of “radicals in robes” using their positions in the judiciary to block President Donald Trump’s agenda through broad-sweeping nationwide injunctions. Barrasso specifically referenced U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani, who swiftly issued a Temporary Restraining Order on Monday — the same day Planned Parenthood filed its lawsuit — blocking Congress’s provision defunding Planned Parenthood through Medicaid for 14 days. 

“It’s time to rein in rogue judges,” Barrasso said, according to prepared remarks first obtained by Breitbart News ahead of his 10:30 a.m. speech.

“Last Friday, President Trump signed into law our historic legislation to deliver safety and prosperity to the American people. Every Democrat in this chamber voted against it. So, once again, Democrats turned to the courts to try to do what they could not in Congress. This time it was about the government funding of Planned Parenthood. By Monday afternoon, Democrats had filed a lawsuit in Boston, Massachusetts,” he said. 

“Now, I’ve spoken before about this Massachusetts district court. This is one of the Democrats’ favorite venues when they want to obstruct the law. Eleven of its thirteen judges were appointed by Democrat presidents. By Monday evening, an unelected district court judge – appointed by President Obama – granted a temporary injunction blocking the law of the land,” he continued. “The judge did not issue a legal opinion or explain her decision. Instead, this one, lone judge – who has a history of radical rulings and partisan activism from the bench – halted a duly enacted law.”

Barrasso noted that “millions of taxpayer dollars could be forced to be spent” as a result of the temporary injunction — “money the taxpayers would never get back.” 

“One judge in one district – trying to dictate and derail national policy. Here we go again. This is another example of radicals in robes undermining the elected branches of government,” he said, pointing out that more than 40 nationwide injunctions have been filed against the Trump administration so far, 35 of which were issued by courts in deep blue states and D.C. “That is nearly triple the number of injunctions President Biden faced in his entire four years in office.”

 “Democrats have used the courts to try to reverse President Trump’s popular policies. Democrats are not seeking unbiased review. They are using the courts as a political tool. That is not how our Constitution is supposed to work,” he said.

RELATED: Supreme Court Ends Abuse of Injunctions: No More ‘Judicial Supremacy’

 “Even Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan – an Obama appointee – has opposed nationwide injunctions. In 2022, Justice Kagan said, ‘It just can’t be right that one district judge can stop a nationwide policy in its tracks and leave it stopped for the years it takes to go through the normal process.’ I agree with Justice Kagan. The Supreme Court has recently and repeatedly taken steps to rein in radical judges,”  he continued. “The Supreme Court has overturned eleven injunctions against the Administration since January. That includes Tuesday’s 8-1 order in the case Trump v. American Federation of Government Employees.”

Barrasso ended his speech by stating his support for the Judicial Relief Clarification Act, which would limit lower courts from using sweeping injunctions to block national policies, and calling on the Senate to “quickly confirm judges who apply the law as written…[n]ot judges who try to legislate from the bench.” Thursday notably begins the process of confirming President Trump’s first judicial nominee of his second term, Whitney Hermandorfer, to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. 

“The Constitution is clear. Congress controls federal spending. The power of the purse belongs to Congress. It does not belong to unelected district court judges with a gavel and a grudge,” he concluded. “Enough is enough. It’s time to restore constitutional order. It’s time to rein in rogue judges. It’s time to confirm judges who respect the rule of law.”

The “Big, Beautiful Bill,” which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump on July 4, bars taxpayer funding through Medicaid from going to certain abortion organizations — namely Planned Parenthood — for one year. Defunding abortion providers through the reconciliation process allowed the Senate to bypass the critical 60-vote threshold for a simple majority vote, instead capitalizing on Republicans’ overall trifecta. While federal funding for abortions is barred by the Hyde Amendment — except in cases of rape, incest, or life of the mother — pro-life opponents argue no federal funds should be used to prop up any organization that performs abortions.

Planned Parenthood alleges in its lawsuit that Congress targeted Planned Parenthood out of other abortion providers in how it wrote the provision; while it does not explicitly name Planned Parenthood, the organization is the only abortion provider that falls under the restrictions outlined in the bill. 

Planned Parenthood also argued that having its Medicaid funding cut off would have “devastating effects” on the organization. Planned Parenthood has claimed that nearly 200 of its clinics are becoming “at risk of closure” because of the defunding measure.

Other Republicans have called out the district judge for her order blocking the provision. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) even pitched the idea of the House Judiciary Committee considering articles of impeachment.

“Unless I’m missing something, this is an abuse of judicial power,” he said in a post to X.

“And unless there’s more to the story here, I suspect the House Judiciary Committee will consider articles of impeachment,” he added.

“An unelected judge has no authority to override the will of 77 MILLION Americans who voted to defund Planned Parenthood,” Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) joined in. “Last time I checked, the Constitution gives Congress, not activist judges, the power of the purse. This abuse of power must be stopped.”

Last month, the Supreme Court separately ruled that South Carolina could block Planned Parenthood from receiving Medicaid funds, finding that Planned Parenthood could not sue the state under a civil rights law.

The case is Planned Parenthood Federation of America v. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., No. 1:25-cv-11913 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.