"A federal judge ruled on Friday that the Trump administration cannot block federal money for childcare subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now. The states of California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York argued that a policy announced on Tuesday to freeze billions of dollars in funds for three grant programs was having an immediate impact on them and creating operational chaos."
"In court filings and a hearing earlier on Friday, the states contended that the government did not have a legal reason for withholding the money from them. The US Department of Health and Human Services said it was pausing the funding because it had reason to believe 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."
A federal judge issued a temporary order preventing the administration from withholding billions in federal funding to five Democratic-led states. The pause affected three grant programs: the Child Care and Development Fund (subsidizing childcare for 1.3 million children), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (cash assistance and job training), and the Social Services Block Grant. The states—California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York—said the freeze caused immediate operational chaos and lacked legal basis. HHS cited suspected benefits being granted to people in the country illegally but provided no evidence or explanation for targeting those states. The judge preserved the status quo for at least 14 days while litigation proceeds. The five states said they receive more than $10 billion annually from the programs.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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