Fraud must be addressed, but without hurting kids
In response to the Trump Administration’s decision to freeze billions of dollars in funding for child care, social services, and cash assistance, First Focus on Children President Bruce Lesley issued the following statement:
“The Administration’s decision to freeze billions of dollars in child care funding will close the door on thousands of babies and young children across the country and send their families scrambling to secure care so they can go to work or school. These are some of the same families being punished by the Administration’s plan to freeze billions more in social services funding and cash assistance to low-income children.
Child care providers already operate on the thinnest of margins and have no room for this kind of uncertainty. Funding delays and decreases may force many to cease operation, perhaps permanently, and to lay off their already underpaid professional staff.
In addition to freezing these funds, the Trump Administration plans to roll back recent measures that have helped lower child care costs for families and increase support for child care providers by ensuring reliable payments.
These measures, taken in the name of fraud prevention, are the exact opposite of what responsible leaders should be doing. Certainly federal funding should be protected from fraud, but this can be done without resulting in harm to children. This country already suffers from a child care shortage that has sidelined valuable American workers and deprived our nation’s youngest children of the early learning experiences that will help them grow into happy, healthy, productive citizens. This move is the latest salvo in President Trump’s very specific, very harmful war on America’s children.”