Federal Judge Blocks Trump Admin's Attempt to Withhold Child Care Funds from Five States for Now
A US District Judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from withholding federal funds meant for child care subsidies and other programs in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. The states had argued that the freeze on funding for three grant programs was having an immediate impact on them, causing "operational chaos."
The government had announced the freeze on Tuesday, citing concerns that the states were granting benefits to individuals who are in the country illegally, despite providing no evidence or explanation as to why these specific states were targeted. However, the judge did not rule on the legality of the funding freeze, saying only that the five states had met a legal threshold "to protect the status quo" for at least 14 days.
The five programs affected are the Child Care and Development Fund, which supports low-income families' childcare; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, providing cash assistance and job training; and the Social Services Block Grant. The states collectively receive more than $10 billion annually from these programs.
Judge Arun Subramanian's ruling means that funding for these programs will flow to the five states at least until further notice. However, this has raised concerns among providers and families reliant on the programs. "If the states can't get child care funds, there will be immediate uncertainty for providers and families who rely on the programs," Jessica Ranucci, a lawyer in the New York Attorney General's office, said during Friday's hearing.
The government had requested reams of data from the five states, including personal information, but was rebuffed by the states. Kamika Shaw, a lawyer for the federal government, claimed that funding was still being processed to the states, but this contradicts the administration's initial claims.
This ruling marks another significant setback for President Trump's administration in its efforts to restrict access to social programs, particularly in Democratic-led states.
A US District Judge has temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from withholding federal funds meant for child care subsidies and other programs in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. The states had argued that the freeze on funding for three grant programs was having an immediate impact on them, causing "operational chaos."
The government had announced the freeze on Tuesday, citing concerns that the states were granting benefits to individuals who are in the country illegally, despite providing no evidence or explanation as to why these specific states were targeted. However, the judge did not rule on the legality of the funding freeze, saying only that the five states had met a legal threshold "to protect the status quo" for at least 14 days.
The five programs affected are the Child Care and Development Fund, which supports low-income families' childcare; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, providing cash assistance and job training; and the Social Services Block Grant. The states collectively receive more than $10 billion annually from these programs.
Judge Arun Subramanian's ruling means that funding for these programs will flow to the five states at least until further notice. However, this has raised concerns among providers and families reliant on the programs. "If the states can't get child care funds, there will be immediate uncertainty for providers and families who rely on the programs," Jessica Ranucci, a lawyer in the New York Attorney General's office, said during Friday's hearing.
The government had requested reams of data from the five states, including personal information, but was rebuffed by the states. Kamika Shaw, a lawyer for the federal government, claimed that funding was still being processed to the states, but this contradicts the administration's initial claims.
This ruling marks another significant setback for President Trump's administration in its efforts to restrict access to social programs, particularly in Democratic-led states.
. And what's with the lack of evidence? Like, where's the proof these states are misusing the funds? It seems like a bunch of bureaucratic red tape to me 
. I'm glad the judge stepped in and temporarily blocked it, but I'd love to see some real explanations from the government on this one 
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. And now, the judge has basically said, "hold on, we need more proof before we freeze funding." It's about time someone stood up to the admin and protected these important programs for people who actually need them 
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at least for now child care funds rnt gonna be witheld from california colorado illinois minnesota and new york thats like, a huge deal 4 fams whos count on those programs 4 a living lets hope this dont become permanent btw i think its lowkey messed up tht they was tryin to get personal info from the states but no one said ok 
the five states were all over it and won this round so props to them 
i mean come on who does that? withholding funds from child care programs its like, basic human decency?
! It's like a weight has been lifted off the shoulders of parents and kids in those five states 
. I mean, can you even imagine having to figure out childcare while the funding is being held up? It's just not right 
. The judge was spot on too, like, who needs all that extra info from the states anyway? 
It's gonna be an amazing year, folks! 
I mean, come on... this is just so frustrating! 
It's like they think the states are just going to magically sort out who's eligible and who's not. 
Newsflash: it takes actual effort, resources, and data to make that happen! 
And by the way, have you seen how much money these states lose from this funding freeze? $10 billion annually?! 
That's like, a whole lotta cash being taken away from families who need it most. 
Can't we just focus on helping people and not playing politics with their lives? 
This is some messed up stuff going on... so they're trying to pull a fast one by freezing child care funds from these five states without any actual evidence 
... but at the same time, it raises all these questions about what exactly is going on behind the scenes 
... like why did they pick these five states? Was it some kinda data thingy that I'm not privy to 
...
. And what's up with all the requests for personal info? That's some serious overreach right there 
. I'm also curious about how they planned on enforcing these changes without having any evidence or a solid plan in place 
. It just feels like another example of the admin trying to sweep things under the rug before they're caught in their own making 
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. I mean, I get the concern about funding but come on, who does that? It's not like they're just handing out cash willy-nilly. And what even is the deal with these random state picks? Colorado? Minnesota? Not exactly known for their childcare woes... anyway, glad this block is in place 
, hope it sticks and doesn't get overturned soon 
. Can you imagine all the parents who rely on these programs freaking out? 
the whole thing was so ridiculous that they were worried about people getting benefits if they're in the country illegally, but didn't even have the evidence to back it up 
at least the funding is flowing again for now, which is a huge relief 
these programs are meant to help people in need, not create more problems 
anyway its good that judge subramanian ruled in favor of the 5 states because now we dont have to worry about providers and families getting left high and dry. im not sure what trump was thinking with this whole thing though...like come on man 