Gillibrand, Schumer Demand Trump Administration Reverse Illegal $3+ Billion Freeze Of New York Child Care And Social Services Funding

Jan 23, 2026

Trump Administration Withholding $3.4 Billion In Child Care And Social Services Funding From New York, Putting Hundreds Of Thousands Of Children At Risk

Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on the Trump administration to immediately reverse its decision to withhold billions of dollars in federal child care and social services funding from five states, including more than $3.4 billion from New York.

The Trump administration has announced plans to withhold funding intended to support low-income children and families, targeting New York and other Democrat-led states. These subsidies help working parents across New York access affordable, high-quality child care. In a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Senators Gillibrand and Schumer called on the administration to immediately reverse course and restore critical funding that New York families rely on.

"The Trump administration is pulling the rug out from under working families, threatening the affordable child care that parents in New York and across the country depend on," said Senator Gillibrand. "This reckless move could force local child care centers to close their doors, leaving parents without the support they need to go to work and keep food on the table. Our children deserve better than to be used as political pawns. With everyday costs already skyrocketing for families, I will continue to fight relentlessly to secure this vital funding and stop these harmful political ploys that are putting our children and their futures in jeopardy."

"Hundreds of thousands of New York households rely on the cash assistance and social services supported by CCDF, TANF, and SSBG, and any delay in funding will be catastrophic for families, children, workers, and communities across New York. Simply withholding funds will not fix fraud. Instead, it will destabilize an already fragile child care and social safety net system," the senators wrote.

The senators demanded that the Trump administration detail any instances of the "extensive and systemic fraud" it cited, without evidence, to justify the funding freeze; identify which agency is conducting any such investigation and when it began; and provide a written justification for withholding federal child care and social services funding without first following established oversight procedures.

In New York alone, this funding freeze threatens more than 219,000 children who rely on child care services, as well as thousands of child care providers statewide, many of them small businesses that cannot withstand funding delays and may be forced to close.

To view the full letter, click here.

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