Padilla, Schiff Demand Trump Administration Reverse Funding Freeze on California’s Critical Child Care, Family Assistance Grant Programs

Senators call out the Administration's partisan retaliation against blue states and repeated efforts by the administration to withhold, delay, or cancel federal projects and funds

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) urged the Trump Administration to reverse course on their unlawful attempt to freeze billions of dollars in child care and family assistance funding to California and four other states led by Democrats.

"The Trump Administration's targeting of bipartisan, congressionally mandated funding is a direct attack on working families and on Congress' legislative function and appropriations power. These blatantly unlawful decisions undermine affordability and harm American families," wrote the Senators.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Assistant Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families Alex Adams, the California Senators raised significant concerns over the potential economic harms and real-world implications for American children, seniors, and families - emphasizing that the programs targeted by the Administration are critical to reducing poverty supporting families. The Senators pushed the Administration to promptly cease all efforts to unlawfully withhold federal funding through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) program that was previously approved by Congress on a bipartisan basis.

"Freezing these programs and delaying funds, even temporarily, will force families across the state to choose between working or caring for their children. This disruption in child care and other assistance could have larger and irreparable impacts on regional economies, removing parents from the workforce, shuttering care facilities and limiting choice, and straining state budgets. This move is particularly egregious given the affordability crisis Americans are facing as a direct result of this Administration's failed economic policies," continued the Senators.

The $5 billion for federal child care and social services that the Trump Administration is attempting to withhold from California is part of their vindictive plan to eliminate up to $10 billion across five Democratically led states under the guise of unfounded claims of widespread fraud. After these states - California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York - filed a lawsuit against the Administration, a federal judge temporarily blocked the funding freeze and extended the temporary restraining order on January 23. In doing so, the judge in this case recognized the need to act in the public interest.

The funds affected include:

• $1.1 billion in Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), which serves approximately 176,300 children monthly, giving families access to affordable and quality child care.
• $3.7 billion in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which funds the state's CalWORKs program and provides cash assistance to eligible low-income families with children for rent, groceries, and other essential services. Approximately 350,000 Californian families benefit from this program each year.
• $190 million in Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), which funds day care programs for 1.1 million children and social services for 380,000 people with disabilities.

The Senators demanded HHS provide specific legal authorities that the Administration is using for the funding freeze, explain how the request for information complies with federal privacy laws, and detail any and all assessments made about the potential near- and long-term impacts of the funding freeze on the elderly, children, and families that rely on these programs.

These threats by the Trump Administration have caused significant alarm and confusion in targeted states," concluded the Senators. "It is unconscionable that any Administration should be allowed to punish children, families, and elderly individuals based on their place of residence and the political leadership of their state. It is imperative that the Administration reverse course to limit the economic harm to American children, seniors, and families."

Senators Padilla and Schiff have repeatedly pushed back against the Trump Administration's vengeful funding freezes of California grants. Last July, Padilla and Schiff demanded the immediate release of funding for K-12 public schools after the Trump Administration announced its intent to illegally withhold over $6 billion in Congressionally appropriated education funds, including approximately $928 million from California. The California Senators and Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18) also led 27 Democratic California lawmakers last October in denouncing the Department of Energy's cuts of $7.6 billion in critical grants for energy projects across the country, including over $3.3 billion in investment in California.

Senator Padilla has also been a leading advocate in condemning the Administration's attacks on child care. Last year, Padilla and Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) led 25 Senators in slamming the Trump Administration's mass firings of federal employees at the Office of Head Start (OHS) and the Office of Child Care (OCC) and demanding Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kennedy immediately reinstate these employees. As the Trump Administration considered eliminating Head Start funding during federal budget discussions, Padilla joined the entire California Democratic Congressional Delegation in urging President Trump and Secretary Kennedy to safeguard federal funding for the Head Start program.

Full text of the letter is available here and below:

Dear Secretary Kennedy and Assistant Secretary Adams:

As the Senators representing the state of California, we write to express our outrage at the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) recent move to freeze $5 billion in Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) funding to California. The Trump Administration's (the Administration) targeting of bipartisan, congressionally mandated funding is a direct attack on working families and on Congress' legislative function and appropriations power. These blatantly unlawful decisions undermine affordability and harm American families. While a federal judge, in granting and extending a temporary restraining order, has recognized the need to act in the public interest to prevent irreparable harm, the Administration must immediately abandon this attempt to illegally withhold funding from California.

The three Administration for Children and Families (ACF) programs are critical to state and national efforts to combat poverty and provide support for vulnerable children, seniors, and people with disabilities. The state of California's FY 2025 allotment of $1.1 billion under CCDF - allocated based on a statutory formula - makes affordable and high-quality child care accessible to a monthly average of 176,300 children in 107,500 families. The $3.7 billion in TANF grants funds the state's CalWORKs program, which provides cash assistance to eligible low-income families with children. Approximately 350,000 Californian families benefit from this program each year, helping them pay their rent, afford groceries, and pay for other essential services. Like with CCDF funding, TANF is allocated according to a statutory formula. SSBG funding, which is allocated based on each state's percentage of the national population, enables California to fund daycare programs for 1.1 million children and social services for 380,000 people with disabilities.

Freezing these programs and delaying funds, even temporarily, will force families across the state to choose between working or caring for their children. This disruption in child care and other assistance could have larger and irreparable impacts on regional economies, removing parents from the workforce, shuttering care facilities and limiting choice, and straining state budgets. This move is particularly egregious given the affordability crisis Americans are facing as a direct result of this Administration's failed economic policies.

Additionally, the January 6, 2026, letters from ACF to Governor Gavin Newsom notifying the state of the freezes reveal that the referenced "potential for extensive and systemic fraud" is merely a pretext for political retribution. The letters fail to include any evidence of the alleged fraud within the State of California. ACF's unfounded accusations of fraud and disingenuous data collection efforts suggest that, rather than seeking to legitimately tackle fraud, waste, and abuse, this exercise is just another escalation of the Administration's attacks on California and other states led by Democrats.

Given the lack of transparency and the potentially disastrous impacts of these grant freezes on American families, we request detailed responses to the following questions by February 16, 2026:

1. What are the specific legal authorities that the Administration is using for the funding freeze for each ACF program? What is the statutory and/or regulatory basis to freeze all CCDF, TANF, and SSBG funds for an entire state?
2. How does HHS's request for personally identifiable information comply with federal privacy laws?
3. What, if any, assessments were made about the potential near- and long-term impacts of a funding freeze on the elderly, children, and families that rely on these programs? Please provide documentation associated with these assessments.

These threats by the Trump Administration have caused significant alarm and confusion in targeted states. It is unconscionable that any Administration should be allowed to punish children, families, and elderly individuals based on their place of residence and the political leadership of their state. It is imperative that the Administration reverse course to limit the economic harm to American children, seniors, and families.

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