Trump administration freezes social services funding to 5 Democratic states

The Trump administration is freezing social services funding to five Democratic states following a massive fraud scandal and investigation in Minnesota.

In a press release Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services said that California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York had lost access to federal funding focusing on child care and family assistance in the wake of “serious concerns about widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in state-administered programs.”

“Families who rely on child care and family assistance programs deserve confidence that these resources are used lawfully and for their intended purpose,” HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said in the release.

“This action reflects our commitment to program integrity, fiscal responsibility, and compliance with federal requirements,” he continued. 

The three programs affected by the freeze are the Child Care and Development Fund, with close to $2.4 billion frozen; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, with $7.35 billion frozen; and the Social Services Block Grant, with $869 million frozen, according to HHS.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) shot back at HHS’s action in a post on the social platform X on Tuesday, calling it “wrong and cruel.”

“Rather than making it more affordable for families, Trump is stripping away child care from those just trying to go to work. Thousands depend on these programs, and now their livelihoods are at risk,” the Prairie State governor said in his post

“It’s wrong and cruel — we’ll take every step possible to defend Illinoisians,” he added.

Republicans have been raising scrutiny over the expansive welfare scandal in Minnesota in the wake of Gov. Tim Walz’s (D) announcement that he was dropping his bid for another term.

The Minnesota governor has been dealing with Republicans’ intense criticism due to failing to prevent the fraud which may have cost his state billions of dollars.