Child-care workers in the Golden State and the families who depend on them are breathing a sigh of relief after a federal judge temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to cut off $10 billion in federal funds. The judge granted the preliminary injunction to keep funds flowing while the litigation plays out.

Wendy Bobadilla, who runs a day care in Palmdale and is a member of SEIU Local 99 and Child Care Providers United, said her business already runs on a razor-thin margin.

"We are already living in poverty as daycare providers," she said, "so a temporary closure would be permanent and it'll just deepen the child-care crisis here in California."

In January, the administration alleged widespread fraud in letters to California and four other states. It threatened to cut funding for multiple programs, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Child Care and Development.

Advocates say if child-care centers are forced to close, millions of parents could be forced to quit work to stay home with their kids.

"The administration alleges widespread fraud," said Yenisey Rodriguez, senior counsel at Democracy Forward, which is representing plaintiffs SEIU and AFSCME plus the Main Street Alliance, "but that's simply pretext for targeting perceived political enemies, i.e. blue-state governors and the residents who elected those individuals."

The attorneys general of New York, California, Minnesota, Illinois and Colorado have filed a similar lawsuit against the Trump administration. They won a separate preliminary injunction to keep the programs funded.

Source: Public News Service