Trump administration halts child care funding to Minnesota after alleged fraud

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it is halting child care funding to the northern state of Minnesota after a series of alleged fraud schemes in recent years.

"We have frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota. 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," Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O'Neill said on social media platform X.

Starting Tuesday, all Administration for Children and Families payments across America "will require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence before we send money to a state," the statement said.

O'Neill noted that he has demanded from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz "a comprehensive audit of these centers," adding that the department has launched a dedicated fraud-reporting hotline and email address.

Walz, meanwhile, responded on X, accusing the Trump administration of politicizing the issue.

"This is Trump's long game. We've spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It's a serious issue, but this has been his plan all along. He's politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans," said the Democratic governor.