The Trump administration has frozen federal funding for childcare programmes in Minnesota following allegations of fraud, which were first exposed and prosecuted during the Biden administration. Jim O’Neill, deputy secretary of health and human services, announced the freeze in a video statement, describing the fraud as 'blatant' and 'rampant in Minnesota and across the country.'
The move comes after a right-wing influencer’s video sparked renewed attention on the issue, leading to homeland security officials questioning workers at day care centres in Minneapolis. Despite social media claims that the fraud was previously ignored, investigations have been ongoing since 2022, when 47 defendants were indicted for a $250m scheme exploiting a federally funded child nutrition programme during the pandemic. To date, 57 people have been convicted in connection with the Feeding Our Future scandal.
Donald Trump has used the allegations—which predominantly involve Somali Americans—to push for a ban on refugees from Somalia and to target Representative Ilhan Omar, who has urged against blaming an entire community. O’Neill stated that nationwide payments through the Administration for Children and Families will now require 'justification and a receipt or photo evidence' before funds are released, and a fraud hotline has been established.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the freeze as politically motivated, writing on social media that 'we’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters' and that Trump is 'politicising the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.' Walz has demanded an audit of day care centres, due by late January, to assess the extent of the fraud, and his administration is taking aggressive action to prevent further abuse.
