New York's ambitious plan to expand child care subsidies has hit a roadblock, courtesy of President Trump's decision to freeze funding. The surprise move leaves state officials scrambling to come up with alternative plans as the federal government provides around 75% of the state's child care subsidies.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is sounding the alarm, stating that roughly $3 billion in funding for child care programs is at stake. While providers won't immediately feel the pinch due to reimbursements, the governor warns that kids from red and blue counties alike will be left without access to this vital support.
The federal government has cited concerns over fraud as the reason for the freeze, with allegations surfacing of businesses claiming COVID-related relief funding for services never provided. This has affected Minnesota and four other states run by Democrats, including New York.
Lawmakers in Albany are pushing back, arguing that they're being unfairly targeted. The timing couldn't be worse, as a coalition of lawmakers, labor leaders, and parent activists is calling for an expansion of pre-kindergarten programs – a move that could have brought much-needed relief to low-income families struggling to afford childcare.
"We can't believe the Trump administration is coming after New York's children like this," said state Sen. Andrew Gounardes. "You shouldn't have to be a millionaire to raise a family in this state." The sentiment was echoed by Sen. Jabari Brisport, who concluded his remarks at a rally by squarely blaming the Trump administration for the freeze.
The governor has vowed not to raise income taxes – the main source of state revenue – but Republicans are pushing back on that idea, saying the state budget is already too big. Assemblymember Ed Ra said "New Yorkers are being asked to believe the contradiction that record spending will somehow make life more affordable." It's a challenge that's only complicated by the federal funding freeze.
As the governor noted, "We're going to have to figure out revenue sources for the push for universal child care with or without the federal government support there. I think now we just have a tougher job ahead of us."
Gov. Kathy Hochul is sounding the alarm, stating that roughly $3 billion in funding for child care programs is at stake. While providers won't immediately feel the pinch due to reimbursements, the governor warns that kids from red and blue counties alike will be left without access to this vital support.
The federal government has cited concerns over fraud as the reason for the freeze, with allegations surfacing of businesses claiming COVID-related relief funding for services never provided. This has affected Minnesota and four other states run by Democrats, including New York.
Lawmakers in Albany are pushing back, arguing that they're being unfairly targeted. The timing couldn't be worse, as a coalition of lawmakers, labor leaders, and parent activists is calling for an expansion of pre-kindergarten programs – a move that could have brought much-needed relief to low-income families struggling to afford childcare.
"We can't believe the Trump administration is coming after New York's children like this," said state Sen. Andrew Gounardes. "You shouldn't have to be a millionaire to raise a family in this state." The sentiment was echoed by Sen. Jabari Brisport, who concluded his remarks at a rally by squarely blaming the Trump administration for the freeze.
The governor has vowed not to raise income taxes – the main source of state revenue – but Republicans are pushing back on that idea, saying the state budget is already too big. Assemblymember Ed Ra said "New Yorkers are being asked to believe the contradiction that record spending will somehow make life more affordable." It's a challenge that's only complicated by the federal funding freeze.
As the governor noted, "We're going to have to figure out revenue sources for the push for universal child care with or without the federal government support there. I think now we just have a tougher job ahead of us."
Freezing funding at this critical time is a huge cop-out, imo. We're talkin' $3 billion that could've been used to set up more pre-k programs or even just make sure every kid has access to affordable childcare. It's like they don't care about the future of our next gen... 
And meanwhile, lawmakers are all like "hey, we're being targeted" - boo hoo? The feds are lookin' out for their own interests (aka catchin' scammers) but it's still a huge blow to families. What's the plan now?! 
! The Trump admin's decision to freeze funding for NY's child care subsidies is straight up unacceptable 
. It's like they're trying to punish families who are already struggling 
. I mean, $3 billion in funding is a huge chunk of change 
, and it's not just gonna magically disappear 
.
. And can we talk about how hypocritical it is that they're doing this now? There's already a push to expand pre-k programs, which would be a huge help to low-income families 
. It's just not right.
. We can't keep relying on federal funding 
. I hope lawmakers in Albany are pushing back hard against this unfair targeting 
. We need universal child care for all families, regardless of income level 
!
But at the same time, I kinda feel for Trump's stance on reducing fraud... I mean, we've seen some wild stuff go down in the past with all that COVID relief funding 
.
i mean, trump's already been all about screwing over poor ppl, but this feels like an extra nasty move 
this is so messed up 
and what about all those low-income families who already struggle to afford childcare? 
we need to find a way to make this work without Trump's interference 
and let's not forget, it's not like they're gonna get richer from this freeze... we all suffer as a result 
This is so unfair! I mean, come on @realDonaldTrump, can't you see how this affects families who are already struggling? 
. I feel so bad for all those families who are gonna be affected by this. It's not just rich people, it's low-income families too! How are they supposed to make ends meet? 
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this is so messed up... freezing funding on top of needing more subsidies for childcare is just cruel, esp for low-income families who are already struggling 
Can't even get funding right, huh? Trump's got his finger on the scale...literally. 75% of NYC's childcare subsidies is already courtesy of the feds. Guess that's what happens when you make the rich richer 
. Governor Hochul's vow not to raise income taxes is a good start, but it's unlikely to be enough to fill the gap left by the federal funding freeze