Illegal, Unilateral Freeze of Child Care and Other Essential Funding in Five Democratic-Led States Is Political Retaliation By Trump, Bicameral Committee Ranking Members Say
Washington, D.C. – Congressional Democratic committee ranking members today demanded a reversal of the Trump Administration’s illegal funding freeze for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) programs in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York.
The letter, signed by Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore.; Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.; Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis.; House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal, D-Mass.; House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, D-Va.; and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., made it clear that this illegal action, which has been temporarily blocked in the courts, is motivated by political retribution and cruelty rather than a sincere interest in program integrity.
In the letter, sent to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Assistant Secretary for Family Support Alex Adams, the members made clear that the freeze has immediate impacts for Americans and threatens to abruptly shut down a wide range of services—from supporting child care for working families, preventing child abuse and neglect to providing home-delivered meals to seniors.
“We demand that you stop playing politics with people’s lives and immediately restore TANF, CCDF, and SSBG funding to all states,” the members wrote. “Your goal is not to improve program integrity; rather, it is to weaponize the federal government to harm your political foes and dismantle the social safety net. The people you are punishing are moms and families who need child care assistance so they can go to work. They are seniors who rely on Meals on Wheels and SSBG-funded transportation to stay independent in their homes. They are children living in poverty who depend on TANF for basic necessities, like shoes and school supplies.”
The members also made it clear that the pretense of taking on fraud holds no water. Among Trump’s first actions in office were to fire 17 independent inspectors general across the federal government that identify fraud and wasteful spending, replacing them with partisan yes-men. Additionally, HHS withdrew a demand that Mississippi repay fraudulently spent TANF funds, making clear that this latest action is another attempt by the Trump Administration to weaponize the federal government against its enemies, not to improve the integrity of essential federal programs.
“Let’s be very clear: This freeze has nothing to do with fraud or waste,” the members continued. “Your latest, unlawful seizure of congressionally-mandated funds comes straight from a tired and cruel Republican playbook: first, target public programs that provide a lifeline to low- and middle-income people; second, smear the recipients of this aid by characterizing them as cheats and fraudsters; and third, use those fabricated or exaggerated claims as a pretext to slash funding.”
The full letter can be found here.