Attorney General Bonta Secures Emergency Order Unfreezing $10 Billion in Federal Funding for Childcare and Family Assistance Programs

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today secured a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump Administration's illegal attempt to freeze $10 billion in federal funding, including an estimated $5 billion to California. This funding benefits millions of Californians including children, families, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Child Care and Development Fund, and the Social Services Block Grant. The temporary restraining order also blocks the Trump Administration's illegal requests in its letters for virtually all documents associated with the federal funding streams that it froze, as well as years of data - including personally identifiable information - concerning individuals who received benefits from those funding streams.

"Again and again, President Trump has shown a willingness to throw vulnerable children, seniors, and families under the bus if he thinks it will advance his vendetta against Democratic-led states," said Attorney General Bonta. "Cutting funding for childcare and other family assistance is cruel, reckless, and most importantly, illegal. Today's emergency order is an important victory for the millions of hardworking California families who benefit from these programs - but we won't stop fighting until we block this unlawful funding freeze permanently."

BACKGROUND

Yesterday evening, Attorney General Bonta - alongside New York Attorney General Letitia James, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison - filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York challenging a funding freeze imposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) earlier this week.

According to HHS, the funding freeze was being imposed immediately and exclusively on the five Democratic-led states because of "serious concerns about widespread fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars." HHS did not provide any evidence at all to support those claims. In addition, HHS demanded that, within 14 days, the five states produce virtually all documents associated with the implementation of the three critical funding streams impacted by the funding freeze, as well as years of data - including personally identifiable information - concerning individuals who received benefits from those funding streams.

In their lawsuit, the attorneys general allege that the funding freeze violates the Administrative Procedure Act, the Separation of Powers, and the U.S. Constitution's Appropriations Clause and Spending Clause.