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Enforcement ActionLow RiskMultistate

State AGs Sue HHS to Block $10B Child Care Funding Freeze

U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesJanuary 16, 2026California Attorney General

Summary

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, alongside attorneys general from New York, Colorado, Illinois, and Minnesota, filed a motion for preliminary injunction to continue blocking the Trump Administration's unlawful freeze of $10 billion in federal funding for child care and family assistance programs and to prevent broad data requests for personally identifiable information of millions of residents. The funding freeze targets five Democratic-led states without evidence of fraud, and the data requests are part of the challenged unlawful actions. A temporary restraining order was previously granted blocking these measures.

Remedy

The motion seeks to extend the court's temporary restraining order that blocks the funding freeze and prohibits HHS from enforcing its broad data and document requests related to state use of federal funding.

Injunction

Laws Cited

Administrative Procedure ActU.S. Constitution Appropriations ClauseU.S. Constitution Spending ClauseSeparation of Powers

Violation Types

Entity Details

Entity

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Also known as: Department of Health and Human Services

Industry

Other

Multistate Coalition

Official Sources

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