In this Feb. 25, 2019 file photo, Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson speaks at a news conference announcing a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's Title X "gag rule" in Seattle. (Photo: AP)

A federal judge in Washington state has blocked new Trump administration rules that could cut off federal funding for health care providers who refer patients for an abortion.

The Washington attorney general's office said Thursday that Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima granted the injunction following about three hours of argument in a case brought by the state and abortion rights groups. The ruling came two days after a federal judge in Oregon said he intended to at least partially block the rules.

The lawsuits said the administration's new rules were a transparent attack on Planned Parenthood and would curb access to care such as contraception and breast and cervical cancer screening for millions of low-income people.