US families are facing “impossible choices” as the Trump administration pushes to freeze federal funds for childcare and family assistance in five states over claims of potential fraud and misuse of taxpayer funds. Alice Dryden, a childcare worker in Chicago, Illinois, told the Guardian, freezing federal childcare funds would be a “disaster” for the families reliant on them. The allegations were debunked by media outlets which found no evidence of any of the childcare centers misusing federal funds. “It was horrifying,” said Lily Crooks, a childcare worker in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “Childcare is not a partisan issue.”Pam Frank, a childcare worker in Springfield, Illinois, noted there is already a shortage of childcare providers throughout the US, and workers in the industry are significantly underpaid.

Source: The Guardian January 26, 2026 15:01 UTC