President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday announced the suspension of funding for aid programs for needy families with children in five Democratic-led states due to suspected fraud.
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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the program, will require states to provide additional documentation to access the funds.
“Families who rely on child care and family assistance programs deserve confidence that these resources are being used legally and for their intended purpose,” HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said in a statement.
The administration has not provided details about the fraud allegations.
HHS said in a statement released in the evening that it had “noted concerns that these benefits intended for U.S. citizens and legal residents may have been improperly paid to individuals ineligible under federal law.”
Five states — California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York — are targeted, and the Department of Health and Human Services said it has notified them.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said earlier in the day that New York was prepared to take the matter to court, as Democratic-led states have repeatedly done.
“We will fight with all our strength, because our children must not be political pawns in a fight that Donald Trump seems to be leading against Democratic state governors,” she said.
The plan to block funds was first revealed by the New York Post.
These programs aim to help children and families in need.
The targeted programs provide a lifeline for some of the poorest Americans:
— The Child Care and Development Fund subsidizes child care services for low-income households, allowing parents to work or study.
— Temporary Assistance for Needy Families provides financial assistance and job training so parents living in poverty can buy diapers and clothes and collect a paycheck.
— The Social Services Block Grant, a much smaller fund, funds several social service programs. “These resources support families in need and allow them to access food and more. If this turns out to be true, it would be terrible to see the federal government target the most deprived families and children in this way,” assured the office of Colorado Governor Jared Polis in a press release.
Donald Trump himself has not commented on the details, but he proclaimed on social media on Tuesday: “The California fraud investigation has begun. »
Tara Gallegos, spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom, said by email that “Donald Trump is a chronic and deranged liar who has been out of touch with reality for years.” She also defended California’s record on combating fraud in government programs.
New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand stressed that Mr. Trump’s decision to withhold funding was about scoring political points, not stopping fraud.
“Our duty is to serve the poorest and most vulnerable people, regardless of their state of residence or the political party to which their family or elected representatives belong,” she wrote in a statement. Using government power to harm poor Americans is immoral and indefensible. »
Amplification of fraud accusations
For months, the Trump administration has claimed that federally funded programs are subject to fraud and has used that allegation as a pretext to block funds.
Federal funding for child care has been suspended in Minnesota since late last month, after investigations into a series of alleged frauds at daycares run by people of Somali descent.
As a result, Department of Health and Human Services officials said no state would receive child care funds without providing additional supporting documentation. Several states told The Associated Press they had not received any instructions on this subject.
The administration has also raised accusations of fraud regarding SNAP, the nation’s main food assistance program, threatening to withhold administrative funds from states — most run by Democrats — until they provide requested recipient information. This process could take months.
The administration says information from most Republican-controlled states shows fraud may be greater than previously thought, but has not provided detailed data or reporting.
The Dr Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told Fox News on Tuesday that his agency also plans to audit Minnesota’s Medicaid bills for possible fraud. He provided no evidence of observed fraud.
