Attorney General Ellison sues Trump Administration to protect billions of dollars for childcare and support for vulnerable families
Trump Administration has announced $10 billion in cuts to critical support for families in five states
Funding cut in Minnesota used to assist low-income parents who are working or in school to pay for childcare, helps low-income families with children afford gas, groceries, and rent, and supports Minnesota's foster care system
January 8, 2026 (SAINT PAUL) — Attorney General Ellison today joined a coalition of four other attorneys general in suing the Trump administration to stop the illegal withholding of over $10 billion in critical funds to their states that help ensure low-income families can afford childcare, housing, food, and more. On January 5 and 6, the administration sent letters to New York, California, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota announcing that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) was freezing funding for three critical programs: the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF); Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); and the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG). Attorney General Ellison and the coalition argue that freezing these funds will immediately jeopardize some of the most important anti-poverty programs in the states, putting vulnerable families at risk. Attorney General Ellison and the coalition are seeking a court order declaring the funding freeze unlawful and preventing the administration from implementing it.
"This latest front in Donald Trump's war on Minnesotans is as cruel as it is unlawful,” said Attorney General Ellison. "Withholding all funding for these vital programs will not help fight fraud as purported, and will instead shred the finances of Minnesotans already struggling to get by. Without childcare assistance, poor families will be forced to choose between parents going to work and paying their bills or staying home to provide childcare during their working hours. And it’s not just families who benefit from these programs that will suffer. Minnesota’s entire childcare system will be put under immense strain if childcare centers lose the funding provided by these programs, which could force centers to lay off staff or close their doors entirely. This extreme outcome is not just cruel, it’s also another example of the Trump Administration going off the rails and deciding not to follow the processes and mechanisms Congress put in place to manage federal grants in a responsible way. Federal laws and regulations give a roadmap for reasonable, legal ways to audit funding programs and address areas of potential noncompliance, but this ‘funding freeze’ takes a chainsaw to the entire system without regard to who it hurts. I will not allow that to happen, so today I am filing a lawsuit to halt these cuts and protect families across Minnesota from Trump’s heartless attack on low-income families.”
In Minnesota, the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) administers the three funding programs at issue in this lawsuit, each of which support different critical forms of support for low-income families with children. CCDF funding, for example, assists low-income parents who are working or in school to pay for childcare at the times they need it most, and ensures money is invested in the overall safety, quality, and availability of childcare services for all children. TANF funding includes assistance aimed at helping low-income families with children afford essentials like gas, groceries, and rent. SSBG funding provides flexible support for a range of child welfare services implemented through the state and counties, including foster care funding.
Attorney General Ellison and the coalition assert that the administration has provided no legitimate justification for freezing these funds. While the letters sent to states claim that the freeze is necessary to prevent “potential” fraud, the lawsuit asserts that the administration is exploiting the pretext of “fraud” concerns to cut programs the Trump Administration has always wanted to cut, and to attack states based on the political party of their leadership. Attorney General Ellison and the coalition argue that the administration’s actions – which ignore the detailed legal requirements for imposing sanctions under these programs – violate the law and the Constitution. The administration’s actions also ignore the laws and regulations governing these ACF programs and violate Congress’s power over spending and the constitutional principle of separation of powers. Attorney General Ellison and the coalition are seeking a court order declaring the funding freeze illegal and preventing it from being implemented.
Joining Attorney General Ellison in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Illinois, and New York.
