A federal judge in New York has temporarily blocked the Trump administration\u2019s move to freeze $10 billion in child-care funds in five Democrat-led states including California.<\/p>\n
The ruling Friday afternoon capped a tumultuous stretch that began earlier this week when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told California officials and those in Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York that it would freeze federal funding over fraud concerns.<\/p>\n
On Thursday the states sued the administration<\/a> in federal court in Manhattan. The states sought a temporary restraining order, asking the court to block the funding freeze and the administration\u2019s demands for large volumes of administrative data.<\/p>\n An attorney for the states argued Friday morning that there was an immediate need for funding \u2014 and that withholding it would cause chaos by depriving families of their ability to pay for child care, and would harm child-care providers who would lose income. <\/p>\n In a brief ruling, Judge Arun Subramanian said that \u201cgood cause has been shown for the issuance of a temporary restraining order.\u201d <\/p>\n The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n The federal government\u2019s effort has been viewed as a broad attack on social services in California, and jolted tens of thousands of working families and the state\u2019s child-care industry. Providers told The Times that the funding freeze could imperil child-care centers, many of which operate on slim margins.<\/p>\n \u201cThe underscoring issue is that child care and these other federally funded social services programs are major family supports,\u201d said Nina Buthee, executive director of EveryChild California. \u201cThey are essential infrastructure that our communities need and depend on, and should not be political tools. So the fact that this judge went in and blocked this very dramatic freeze, I think is only a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n In a trio of Jan. 6 letters<\/a> addressed to Gov. Gavin Newsom, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it was concerned there had been \u201cpotential for extensive and systemic fraud\u201d in child care and other social services programs that rely on federal funding, and had \u201creason to believe\u201d that the state was \u201cillicitly providing illegal aliens\u201d with benefits.<\/p>\n The letters did not provide evidence to support the claims. State officials have said the suggestions of fraud are unsubstantiated. <\/p>\n