1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to advocate for the immediate release of federal childcare funding that was frozen for Minnesota on Tuesday by the Trump administration. This funding freeze punishes thousands of innocent families and childcare providers for the criminal actions of a small number of individuals who have already been prosecuted. The fraud allegations cited by Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill are not new developments. Investigations began during the Biden administration in 2022, resulting in indictments of 47 defendants in a $250 million scheme involving the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. Prosecutors have already secured convictions of 57 people who stole federal funds from a child nutrition program. The justice system has been working, and Governor Tim Walz's administration has spent years cracking down on fraudsters while cooperating with federal partners. Freezing all childcare funding based on these already-prosecuted cases harms the very families this program exists to serve. Working parents across Minnesota depend on childcare assistance to maintain employment and provide for their families. Childcare providers who operate legitimately and serve their communities with integrity now face financial uncertainty through no fault of their own. Governor Walz has made clear that fraud will not be tolerated and has an audit due by late January that will provide a comprehensive picture of the fraud's extent. His administration is taking aggressive action to prevent additional fraud. The appropriate response is targeted enforcement against bad actors, not collective punishment that disrupts childcare access for Minnesota families. I ask you to publicly call for the restoration of this funding while supporting continued investigation and prosecution of actual fraud. Families should not lose access to childcare because of crimes committed by others who have already faced justice. Minnesota has demonstrated its commitment to accountability, and federal funding should resume immediately.