“The Trump administration is positioning families, communities, businesses, and our economy to struggle and fail by threatening Child Care Development Block Grant funding. This move is short-sighted and harmful and may well cause grave and lasting harm to our underfunded, already-struggling child care system. Families need more child care solutions, not more chaos. It is truly appalling that the administration would do this based on unsubstantiated charges by a rightwing influencer known for spreading racist disinformation.

“We are also profoundly disturbed by the racism and anti-immigrant sentiment that underlies this move, and by reports of other influencers targeting child care programs and particularly those run and staffed by immigrants. America’s moms recognize immigrants as our friends and neighbors and as invaluable contributors to our care workforce and our communities. We are horrified by the inflammatory rhetoric and baseless charges being leveled against so many hardworking immigrants while using children and families as pawns to advance their hateful agenda. Immigrants are 20% of our country’s child care workforce.

“If a thorough investigation proves that a program committed fraud, of course there must be consequences for that program – but it is absolutely unacceptable to penalize hardworking families who rely on child care programs and child care providers across a state or the entire country who are following the rules as they care for our children. The last thing families need as we head into a new year is even more instability in our child care system, after thousands of programs have closed and many that remain open are operating on a shoestring. Our focus should be on strengthening our child care infrastructure, not undermining it; that is why we were alarmed by the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, filed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Friday, which would roll back 2024 rules allowing for prospective and enrollment-based payments to child care providers; grants and contracts for serving some children with disabilities, infant/toddler care, and underserved communities; and a 7% cap on family co-payments. Rolling that back is a painful step in the wrong direction.

“When child care programs close, moms and parents can’t hold jobs, businesses can’t get the workers they need, children don’t get the early learning, food, and health services that help them succeed, and our economy can’t thrive. The Trump administration attacks on our child care infrastructure will have a devastating impact.”