Hundreds of thousands of children from low-income families could soon be without child care and other vital services after the Trump administration announced that it was freezing nearly $10 billion in federal funding going to five states led by Democrats. Without providing evidence, the administration cited fears of fraud in its decision to pause funding for subsidized child care, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grants and other dollars to support kids in New York, California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota. The Washington Post’s Kelly Kasulis Cho reports: 

Child care costs are rising faster than overall inflation in most U.S. states. U.S. families spent between 9 percent and 16 percent of their median income on full-day care for one child in 2022, according to the National Database of Childcare Prices, the latest available official data. Allegations of day care fraud have become a political flash point among conservatives in recent weeks after a GOP influencer filmed himself visiting federal subsidized day cares in Minneapolis amid a growing fraud probe in the state. Federal prosecutors initiated the probe several years ago.

Protecting immigrant students

There have been reports of educators in the East Baton Rouge Parish School System sharing students’ immigration status with federal officials. Tia Fields, writing in a letter to the Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate, provides a crucial reminder that schools have a constitutional obligation to protect immigrant children: 

Schools are not immigration enforcement zones. They are meant to be safe places for learning. If any school employee is identifying or disclosing a student’s immigration status, race or other personally identifiable information to law enforcement without a valid subpoena or court order, that may violate the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). That is not simply unethical. It is illegal.

Cash aid program for new mothers

Detroit will soon provide all new mothers with $1,500 and $500 per month for at least six months after giving birth. More than half (51%) of children in the Motor City live in poverty, which is three times higher than the national average. Louis Aguilar of The Detroit News explains how the program will be funded: 

The Rx Kids program in Detroit will have an annual $4 million budget, officials said, and the funding will come from a mix of state, city, philanthropic and corporate partners. The city plans to spend $500,000 annually for three years. Some of the other sponsors include The Skillman Foundation, GreenLight Fund Detroit, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Kresge Foundation, General Motors Co. and Huntington Bank. Officials didn’t say how much they expect from the state, but [Dr. Mona] Hanna said the nonprofit is awaiting the final contract from the state government for the fiscal year 2026. 

The Rx Kids program, which now operates in more than a dozen Michigan cities, is helping to improve the well-being of babies and their families: 

One study conducted about the program in Flint found a link to a 27% drop in low birth weights and an 18% decrease in preterm births, according to the program. Meanwhile, a survey of new mothers in Flint found improvements in housing stability and access to food.

Violence is a gendered issue

Louisiana is a dangerous place to be a man or woman, with more than half of adults being a victim of physical violence during their lifetime. That’s according to findings of a recent survey from VexData and Tulane University. Violence against women was more likely to be committed by a spouse or partner, while men were more likely to be assaulted by strangers. The Louisiana Illuminator’s Julie O’Donoghue explains how gender also plays a role in the type of violence that is experienced:

Men were much more likely to be subjected to gun violence than women, however; 4% of men reported they had been threatened or attacked with a gun in the year before the survey was taken, compared with just 1% of women, according to the report. Yet women (13%) were more likely to experience sexual harassment and sexual violence than men (6%). Almost one in four women (23%) surveyed also said they had been subjected to forced sex during their lifetimes, compared with 7% of men. 

The report explains how policies that combat economic insecurity help to reduce violence: 

Survey participants who reported not having enough money for food or other basic necessities were five times more likely to have experienced physical violence in the past year and six times more likely to experience intimate partner violence. People who are homeless were nine times more likely to experience intimate partner violence, according to the report. 

Number of the Day

3 million – Number of children who would have been kept out of poverty if Congress did not allow the enhanced Child Tax Credit to expire in 2022. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau via Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)