Attorney General Raoul Wins Block Of Trump Administration’s Unlawful Freeze On Billions In Essential Funding For Child Care And Families

CHICAGO – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today secured a temporary restraining order from the U.S. District Court for Southern District of New York, blocking the Trump administration’s illegal attempt to freeze $10 billion in federal funding that provides critical support for children and families.

Attorney General Raoul, along with the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Minnesota and New York, filed a lawsuit yesterday challenging the administration’s illegal action and sought a court order to immediately stop the freeze and make sure families continue to receive the aid they need.

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“I’m pleased with the court’s decision, which protects critical funding to support families and help working parents access child care,” Raoul said. “There is no justification for this attempted funding freeze. It is a cruel and illegal attempt by the Trump administration to play politics with the lives of children and low-income families. I remain committed to protecting Illinois residents from bearing the brunt of this president’s continued disregard for our Constitution and the rule of law.”

The administration’s action threatens about $1 billion in federal funding for Illinois, going to Illinois families and service providers. These funds give low-income families access to child care, allowing members of those families to work or go to school. Additionally, the funds provide access to after-school and summer programming, which also supports children’s growth and allows parents to work. In Illinois, approximately 150,000 children receive child care supported by these funds. The funding is also used to provide temporary cash assistance to families in need and fund programs that help families achieve or maintain economic self-sufficiency, and that address neglect, abuse or exploitation of children and vulnerable adults.

In their lawsuit, Raoul and the attorneys general assert that even a temporary disruption to the funding would have devastating consequences for families, the economy and their states. The attorneys general argue that the freeze is an unlawful overreach of executive power that violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

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