Thousands of families, children and child care programs in Illinois are at risk of losing billions of dollars in federal federal funds, Gov. J.B. Pritzker warned, after the Trump Administration on Tuesday said it plans to freeze money for social services and child care over concerns about fraud.
“Rather than making life easier and more affordable for our families, Donald Trump is stripping away child care from Illinois families who are just trying to go to work,” Pritzker said in a release. “Thousands of parents and children depend on these child care programs to help them make ends meet, and now their livelihoods are being put at risk.”
The move, which targets $10 billion across five Democratic-led states — California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York — comes amid ongoing investigation into a series of alleged fraud schemes at Minnesota day care centers run by people with family roots in Somalia.
According to a report from the Associated Press, an official in the White House budget office who has knowledge of the plan but was not authorized to speak about it publicly said that it was due to states “pouring money out” to people in the U.S. illegally. NBC News has not independently verified any of those claims.
In a statement sent to NBC Chicago, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said “for too long, Democrat-led states and Governors have been complicit in allowing massive amounts of fraud to occur under their watch.”
Speaking at the City Club in Chicago Monday, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said Illinois hasn’t seen the fraud the Trump Administration is alleging.
“We haven’t seen any of the things this guy is alleging,” Welch said. “He just makes it up and he lies every single day.”
According to Pritzker, the Administration for Children and Families sent letters to the State of Illinois late Tuesday evening freezing all funds for program and services provided through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
“This is wrong, it is cruel, and we will take every step possible to defend the kids and families depending on all of us right now,” Pritzker said. Pritzker added that the states were targeted because they are led by governors of the opposite political party.
In the fallout, HHS officials said no state will receive child care funds without providing more verification. Several states have told The Associated Press that they have not received any guidance on that decision.
As more details continue to unfold, here’s what we know right now.
Which programs are impacting by the child care funding freeze?
The targeted programs provide lifelines to some of the neediest Americans.
Around 100,000 families, including more than 152,000 children, are served through the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program, Pritzker said, which is partially funded through the Child Care Development Block Grant.
Those programs provides subsidized child care to low-income working families, the state said, and enabling parents to go to work or school.
The TANF block grant supports thousands of licensed child care providers in every county of Illinois, Pritzker said. The funds are used to support the Illinois CCAP, and to support the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Daycare license work, which Pritzker said “impacts providers and families in ever corner of the state.”
The Social Services Block Grant supports 275 organizations statewide through 17 program areas designed to protect the network of Illinois human service providers and ensure the health and welfare of children, seniors, people with disabilities, and those facing poverty and food insecurity. Those programs provide cash assistance, job training, and more.
“TANF funds are used both to support the Illinois CCAP, and to support the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Daycare licensing work, which impacts providers and families in every corner of the state.”
The Social Services Block Grant supports 275 organizations statewide through 17 program areas, Pritzker said. Those programs are designed to “protect the network of Illinois human service providers and ensure the health and welfare of children, seniors, people with disabilities, and those facing poverty and food insecurity.”
The release added that “any disruption to CCAP funding threatens not only children and families, but also employers, child care providers, and local economies across the state.”
What other states have said
Trump himself has not spoken on the specifics, but he proclaimed on social media Tuesday: “The Fraud Investigation of California has begun.”
Tara Gallegos, a spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, said in an email that “Donald Trump is a deranged, habitual liar whose relationship with reality ended years ago” and defended California’s record at stamping out fraud in government programs.
“These resources support families in need and help them access food and much more. If true, it would be awful to see the federal government targeting the most needy families and children this way,” the office of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, said Trump’s move to halt funding aims to score political points, not to stop fraud.
“It’s our job to serve the people most in need and most at risk — no matter what state they live in or what political party their family or elected representatives belong to,” she said in a statement. “To use the power of the government to harm the neediest Americans is immoral and indefensible.”
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