Trump freezes childcare funds to 5 blue states

https://www.cpr.org/2026/01/06/trump-freezes-colorado-childcare-food-aid-funds/

The federal government is freezing some childcare and food funds to Colorado, the latest salvo in the Trump Administration’s campaign against the Democratic-led state.

An Office of Management and Budget official confirmed that the Administration has frozen funding as of Monday for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Social Services Block Grant program to Colorado and four other Democratic-led states.

The federal government cited concerns that benefits were fraudulently going to non-citizens, but officials did not point to any specific Colorado examples.


The OMB official said more than $300 million in federal funds to Colorado for child care, food aid and other social services would be frozen. In total, $10 billion in funding for the programs was frozen for Colorado, California, Illinois, Minnesota and New York.

“We don’t really know what the timing is,” said a spokesperson for Clayton Early Learning, a headstart program in Denver. “And that’s not to say it’s not a concern, but it is a question mark. We’re always concerned for our families, but immediately, we’re not.”