US President Donald Trump
The administration of US President Donald Trump has halted over $10 billion in federal childcare and family welfare assistance funding to five Democratic-led states.
The government said the move became necessary following cases of fraud and misuse of public funds.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed the following Democratic states as worse hit by the move.
The states include: California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York.
According to HHS, the freeze applies to three major federal programmes: the Child Care and Development Fund, valued at $2.4 billion; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programme, worth $7.35 billion; and the Social Services Block Grant, totalling $869 million.
In a statement by the department, the fund would suffer restrictions pending the period of review. This moves no doubt would impact families who depend solely on the welfare assistance.
Reacting, Democratic leaders condemned the decision, accusing the administration of politicising essential social services.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the move as “vindictive” and “cruel,” saying children should not be used as “political pawns” in disputes between the White House and Democratic governors.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker echoed those sentiments, calling the freeze “wrong and cruel,” while California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said the state has already blocked more than $125 billion in fraud since he took office.
The funding freeze also comes amid heightened scrutiny of Minnesota, which the Trump administration has repeatedly accused of widespread fraud within welfare and social service programmes.
Officials have pointed to alleged abuses involving immigrants, claims that rights advocates argue unfairly target the state’s Somali community — the largest in the United States — as well as prominent Democratic figures including Governor Tim Walz and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.
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