A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from freezing federal childcare subsidies and other funds for low-income families in five Democratic-led states. The ruling, issued on Friday by US District Judge Arun Subramanian, halts the freeze for at least 14 days while legal arguments proceed.
The states of California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York argued that the policy, announced on Tuesday, caused immediate “operational chaos”. The US Department of Health and Human Services had paused funding, claiming it had “reason to believe” the states were granting benefits to people in the country illegally, though no evidence was provided.
The affected programs include the Child Care and Development Fund, which subsidises childcare for 1.3 million children; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programme; and the Social Services Block Grant. The five states receive over $10bn annually from these programmes.
New York Attorney General Letitia James, leading the lawsuit, called the ruling a “critical victory for families”. The states argue the data demands from the government, including names and social security numbers of benefit recipients, are unconstitutional and politically motivated.
Separately, US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced a freeze of about $130m in annual funding to Minnesota, citing the state’s failure to prevent fraud in a Covid-19 feeding programme. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said he would challenge the freeze in court.
