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Speaker Rivas Condemns Trump’s Freeze of Billions in Funding for Child Care and Social Services

For immediate release:

SACRAMENTO — The Trump administration announced a plan to freeze $10 billion in federal child care and social services dollars, putting working families, children and vulnerable Californians at risk. If implemented, the freeze would impact 5 states - California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York - all of which are led by Democrats. 

“It is unconscionable for Trump and Republicans to rip away billions of dollars that support child care and families in need, and this has nothing to do with fraud. California taxpayers pay for these programs — period — and Trump has no right to steal from our hard-working residents. We will continue to fight back.” said Speaker Robert Rivas.

The Trump administration has attempted to justify the freeze with vague and baseless claims of fraud involving non-citizens, despite providing no evidence related to California. The move threatens funding for child care, services for seniors and people with disabilities, and support for families struggling to afford basic necessities like food and housing.

The funding freeze is part of a broader pattern of federal retaliation by Trump and Republicans in Congress — using essential services as leverage and forcing families and children to bear the consequences.

The following programs will be impacted by Trump clawing-back billions of dollars that fund child care and essential services Californians rely on every day, jeopardizing families’ ability to work and children’s access to safe care:

  • $7.3 billion from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which funds CalWORKs and provides subsidized child care and basic support for low-income families.
  • $2.4 billion from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), used to help parents work, attend school, or participate in job training, while supporting child care providers across the state.
  • $869 million from the Social Services Block Grant, which California directs toward child care, child welfare, and services for seniors and people with disabilities.