The plaintiffs — California Attorney General Rob Bonta, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison — asked the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to order the Department of Health and Human Services to release funds they say were lawfully appropriated by Congress. California provided further specifics on its child care spending: the state’s total child care budget is about $7.3 billion, of which $2.2 billion comes from federal sources. The state says HHS’s action would remove roughly $1.4 billion in child care funding that families and providers currently depend on. The states counter that the letters provide no factual or legal basis and amount to selective targeting of Democratic-led states. Programs supported by the Social Services Block Grant also fund disability services and language and accessibility supports that disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

Source: Washington Post January 09, 2026 14:46 UTC