Overview
- Health and Human Services and the Office of Management and Budget confirmed a pause affecting California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, covering roughly $7.35 billion in TANF, about $2.4 billion in CCDF, and around $869 million in Social Services Block Grant funds.
- HHS is implementing a broad "defend the spend" verification push requiring more administrative data from all states, with the five targeted states asked for added proof such as attendance records, inspection reports, and parent complaints before funds are released.
- State officials in several of the five states said they had not yet received formal notice, though the administration indicated letters were sent on Monday outlining the freezes.
- The move follows heightened scrutiny centered on Minnesota, where federal probes tied to programs like Feeding Our Future have produced dozens of charges and an earlier freeze of child care payments after a viral video questioned whether sites were operating.
- Democrats, including Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, condemned the action as political retribution, while child care advocates warn reimbursement delays and new paperwork could disrupt providers and reduce access for low‑income families.