The Trump administration is freezing $10 billion in funds for child care for five states because of fraud concerns, officials said on Jan. 6.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is freezing $7 billion in funds for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families plan, which provides funding for programs that help low-income families
An additional $2.4 billion in funds from the Child Care and Development Fund, a program that funds child care assistance for about 1.4 million children from low-income families across the nation, and $869 million in social services grants are also being frozen.
“For too long, Democrat-led states and governors have been complicit in allowing massive amounts of fraud to occur under their watch,” Andrew Nixon, a spokesman for HHS, told The Epoch Times via email. “Under the Trump administration, we are ensuring that federal taxpayer dollars are being used for legitimate purposes. We will ensure these states are following the law and protecting hard-earned taxpayer money.”
The five states are California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York.
Officials said they’re freezing the funds because of concerns the benefits may have gone to people not eligible for them under federal law, among other possible fraud. The funds will remain frozen until HHS completes a review and determines states are complying with federal requirements.
That’s a good start