Trump administration's cruel child care move could bring sweeping harm

The Trump administration’s cruel decision to freeze up to $10 billion in child care and social services subsidies earmarked for five states whose governors are Democrats came without any justification. This meritless decision could cause sweeping harm to New York families, employers and small businesses.

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services notified the state that it has stopped disbursements from the Child Care and Development Fund, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF), and other social services grants including for child protective services. Federal officials claim they’re concerned about fraud and immigrants benefiting from the programs, in the wake of alleged welfare fraud in Minnesota.

While fraud should be stopped, there’s no evidence of fraud in New York or the other three states — California, Illinois and Colorado. And if the long established federal program is riddled with mismanagement, how is it possible that not one state headed by a Republican let a dime go to waste?

There already are existing mechanisms to combat any waste. In New York, counties determine eligibility for child care and other public assistance programs that are state and federally funded. If money is not being properly used, federal officials should provide evidence and the U.S. attorney should investigate.

But without such evidence, this decision appears to be a politically motivated attempt to unfairly target programs that assist vulnerable children and their families.

Those invaluable programs primarily provide money for food, housing, home heating and energy, and child care to those who fall below income guidelines and meet specific requirements. But the potential ripple effect of the funding stoppage goes far beyond the families themselves.

Many local child care providers depend on such subsidies for the bulk of their revenue, and are already working off thin margins. If the spigot closes, small day care operations could shut down, leaving parents without care, thousands of child care workers without a job, and other employers without workers who will need to stay home to handle the caregiving. Other service industries are in turn impacted, too.

Even the threat of a funding cutoff is enough to cause wide uncertainty and panic among families and child care providers alike. Long Island child care centers are reporting that they’ve previously had issues with late payments. This could exacerbate that problem.

HHS said it was requiring states to submit documentation verifying attendance, spending and other metrics. But child care centers already gather and provide such data.

Gov. Kathy Hochul rightly promised that state officials would “fight this with every fiber of our being because our kids should not be political pawns in a fight that Donald Trump seems to have with blue state governors.” So another lawsuit against will be filed for New York to get what it deserves from Washington.

But local elected officials including Republicans must also push to unfreeze the funds.

For Long Island parents and children, this nonsense will have real consequences.