WASHINGTON \u2014 The Trump administration is cutting off more than $10 billion in social services and child care funding meant for a handful of Democrat-led states over concerns that the benefits were fraudulently funneled to non-citizens, officials told The Post Monday.<\/p>\n
The Department of Health and Human Services will freeze taxpayer funding from the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and the Social Services Block Grant program.<\/p>\n
The Trump administration is cutting off more than $10 billion in social services and child care funding meant for a handful of Democrat-led states, officials told The Post Monday. Getty Images<\/p>\n
Minnesota has been at the center of allegations that child care programs are perpetrating fraud after a viral video from YouTuber Nick Shirley alleged nearly a dozen day cares had no kids attending. X \/ Nick Shirley<\/p>\n
At least $7.35 billion in TANF money will be prevented from going to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York.<\/p>\n
The CCDF funding block of nearly $2.4 billion affects all those states.<\/p>\n
Another $869 million from the Social Services Block Grant coffers is being kept from all five states as well.<\/p>\n
The funding pauses were to be announced via letters to each state sent Monday, citing concerns that benefits were fraudulently going to non-US citizens.<\/p>\n
The HHS Office of Inspector General\u00a0found<\/a>\u00a0more than six years ago that New York City improperly billed the federal government for more than $24.7 million in child care subsidies.<\/p>\n Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) blasted the Trump administration\u2019s decision to pull back funds.<\/p>\n \u201cTo use the power of the government to harm the neediest Americans is immoral and indefensible,\u201d Gillibrand said in a statement. \u201cThis has nothing to do with fraud and everything to do with political retribution that punishes poor children in need of assistance. I demand that President Trump unfreeze this funding and stop this brazen attack on our children.\u201d<\/p>\n HHS also\u00a0previously sent letters<\/a>\u00a0in December to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey asking whether the billions of taxpayer dollars helped\u00a0unlawfully \u201cfuel illegal and mass migration,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0The Post first reported.<\/p>\n Those inquiries were followed by probes the Treasury Department and House Oversight Committee\u00a0also launched<\/a>\u00a0into the mounting fraud scandal, which involves several nonprofits linked to the Somali community in the Twin Cities.<\/p>\n