Five Democratic-controlled states are asking a judge Friday to order President Donald Trump\u2019s administration to keep money flowing for child care subsidies and other programs aimed at boosting low-income families with children.<\/p>\n
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said it was pausing the funding because it had \u201creason to believe\u201d the states were granting benefits to people in the country illegally, though it did not provide evidence or explain why it was targeting those states and not others.<\/p>\n
The states say the move was instead intended to damage Trump\u2019s political adversaries.<\/p>\n
A judge previously gave<\/a> the states a reprieve to the administration\u2019s plan to halt funding for the states unless they provide information on the beneficiaries of some programs, including names and Social Security numbers. The temporary restraining order is set to expire Friday.<\/p>\n The request under consideration now is to keep the programs funded while a legal challenge to the administration\u2019s plan moves ahead.<\/p>\n The states in question are California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York. Around the same time as the actions aimed at the five states, the administrations put up hurdles to Minnesota<\/a> for even more federal dollars. It also began requesting all states to explain how they\u2019re using money in the child care program.<\/p>\n The programs are intended to help low-income families<\/p>\n The programs are the Child Care and Development Fund, which subsidizes child care for 1.3 million children from low-income families nationwide; 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 money for a variety of programs. The states say that they receive a total of more more than $10 billion a year from those programs \u2014 and that the programs are essential for low-income and vulnerable families.<\/p>\n