Did the Trump Administration Really Stop Child Care Funding to Minnesota Over Fraud Allegations?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Child care funding to Minnesota has been frozen due to allegations of fraud.
- New requirements for funding include justification and evidence.
- The Minnesota Governor has criticized the Trump administration's actions as politically motivated.
- A dedicated hotline for reporting fraud has been established.
- Future funding will only be released upon proving legitimate use of funds.
Washington, Dec 31 (NationPress) The Trump administration has taken the significant step of suspending child care funding to the state of Minnesota following multiple reports of alleged fraudulent activities in recent years.
“We have halted all child care payments to Minnesota. You may have seen the serious claims that the state has misallocated millions of taxpayer dollars to deceptive daycares throughout Minnesota over the last decade,” stated Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O'Neill on the social media platform X.
Beginning Tuesday, all payments from the Administration for Children and Families across the nation will necessitate justification and supporting evidence, such as receipts or photographs, before funds are disbursed to any state, as indicated in the announcement.
O'Neill pointed out that he has requested a thorough audit of these centers from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and has announced the establishment of a dedicated hotline and email for reporting fraud, according to reports from Xinhua news agency.
In response, Governor Walz criticized the Trump administration on X, claiming it is politicizing the situation.
“This is part of Trump’s long game. We have been working for years to combat fraud. This is a serious issue, but this has always been his strategy. He is using this to defund programs that support Minnesotans,” the Democratic governor asserted.
In a subsequent post shortly after, O'Neill stated that funds would be released “only when states can demonstrate they are being utilized legitimately.”