Judge says Trump administration cannot block child care funds to five states for now

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration cannot block federal child care and related program funds from flowing to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York for at least 14 days while the states' legal challenge proceeds.

A federal judge on Friday ordered that the Trump administration may not block federal money for child care and other support programs from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now. The states — California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York — sued after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a pause on funding for three grant programs. HHS said it had reason to believe the states were granting benefits to people in the country illegally, but the department did not provide evidence or explain why it targeted those states. The judge did not rule on the legality of the funding freeze but found the states met the threshold to preserve the status quo for at least 14 days while the matter is litigated. Key facts: - The affected programs include the Child Care and Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Social Services Block Grant. - The five states say they receive a total of more than $10 billion a year from those programs. - U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian granted a temporary order to protect the status quo for at least 14 days and did not decide the legality of the funding pause. - Health and Human Services announced the pause saying it had reason to believe some benefits were granted to people in the country illegally, and HHS did not provide public evidence or explain why it targeted those particular states. - The federal government requested extensive data from the states, including names and Social Security numbers of program recipients dating back to 2022. - New York Attorney General Letitia James is leading the lawsuit and described the ruling as an important step for affected families; a government lawyer said she understood the money had not stopped flowing. Summary: The temporary court order keeps federal child care and related funds available to the five states while the legal challenge moves forward. The judge allowed at least 14 days to maintain the status quo and for further court arguments; the longer-term outcome is to be decided through the court process.