Trump: Following allegations of fraud, the administration stops supporting child care in Minnesota

Trump: Following a number of suspected fraud schemes in recent years, the Trump administration said that it is stopping child care funds to the northern state of Minnesota.All payments to the state of Minnesota for child care have been halted. Jim O’Neill, the deputy secretary of health and human services, said on social media site X that “you have probably read the serious allegations that the state of Minnesota has funneled millions of taxpayer dollars to fraudulent daycares across Minnesota over the past decade.”

All Administration for Children and Families payments in the United States “will require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence before we send money to a state,” the statement read, effective Tuesday.

According to the Xinhua news agency, O’Neill said that he has asked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for “a comprehensive audit of these centers,” and the department has set up a specific hotline and email address for reporting fraud.

In his response on X, Walz said that the Trump administration was politicizing the matter.Trump’s long-term strategy is this. We have been pursuing scammers for years. This has always been his plan, but it’s a significant problem. The Democratic governor said, “He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”

Over an hour later, O’Neill added in a follow-up post that money would be disbursed “only when states prove they are being spent legitimately.”