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A federal judge ruled Friday that the president Donald TrumpCurrently, the administration is unable to prevent federal funds for child care subsidies and other programs designed to support poor children and their families from flowing to the five Democratic-led states.
state californiaColorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York It argued that a policy announced on Tuesday to freeze funding for three funded projects was having a direct impact on them and causing “operational disruption”. In court filings and hearings earlier Friday, states argued that the government had no legal basis to withhold funds from those states.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it was suspending funding because it had “reason to believe” those states were illegally providing benefits to people in the country, but it did not provide evidence or explain why it targeted those states and not others.
These programs include the Child Care and Development Fund, which provides child care subsidies for children from low-income families; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance and job training; and the Social Services Block Grant, a smaller fund that provides funding for a variety of programs.
The five states say they receive more than $10 billion annually from these programs combined.
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, nominated by former President Joe BidenThere was no ruling on the legality of the funding freeze, but he said the five states had met the legal threshold of “status quo” for at least 14 days while arguments were fought in court.
The administration has asked the five states to provide a trove of data, including the name and Social Security number of everyone who has benefited from certain programs since 2022.
States argue the move is unconstitutional and aimed at going after Trump’s political opponents rather than stamping out fraud in government programs — something states say they already do.
Jessica Ranucci, a lawyer for the New York Attorney General’s Office, said during a hearing held by phone on Friday that at least four states have had funding delayed after they requested it. She said if states are unable to secure child care funding, providers and families who rely on these programs will face immediate uncertainty.
Kamika Shaw, an attorney for the federal government, said it was her understanding that the money had not stopped flowing to states.