The Trump administration has frozen child care funding

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, payments will be released only after states demonstrate that federal child care funds are being spent for legitimate purposes.

Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, told ABC News that states are required to provide their own administrative data for review, and that states suspected of irregularities must provide additional evidence, including child attendance records, licensing information and inspection reports.

“It’s the responsibility of the states to make sure these funds — these federal dollars and taxpayer dollars — are used for legitimate purposes,” Nixon said.

This action was carried out following accusations about fraudulent practices in some child care centers in the state of Minnesota; The accusations came after an unverified video was posted on social media. The allegations first led to a freeze on payments to the state of Minnesota, and then spread across the country.

Since the start of Trump’s second term, government officials and informal advisers have repeatedly cited unsubstantiated and often vague allegations of “fraud” or “corruption” to unilaterally cut funding for dozens of programs; Programs that the Republican Party usually opposes.

Subsequently, many—but not all—of these funds were reinstated after judicial challenges or after the programs were determined to be necessary.

Jim O’Neill, the deputy secretary of health and human services, previously announced on social media that the agency has frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota and is tightening payment requirements to prevent misuse of taxpayer resources in dozens of programs.

Minnesota state officials have denied the allegations, saying the facilities referenced in the video have been inspected and operate in accordance with state regulations.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walls criticized the decision, accusing the federal government of politicizing the issue and undermining family support programs.

“This is Trump’s long-term game,” Walls said. We’ve spent years fighting fraudsters. This is a serious matter, but this has been his plan from the beginning. “He’s politicizing this issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”

The Department of Health and Human Services announced that the suspension of payments will continue until states adopt the new standards.

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