The cuts to several states come amid an escalating fraud fallout fueled by a dubious YouTube investigation of Minnesota day cares.
The Trump administration on Monday said it had slashed billions in social services funds to a handful of blue states as part of its escalating response to new and unproven fraud allegations in Minnesota.
The Department of Health and Human Services will freeze $10 billion worth of federal grants to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York, an HHS official told HuffPost, confirming news first reported by The New York Post.
It’s not clear whether the freeze was inspired by specific fraud allegations or solely for political reasons. Officials did not immediately provide a public explanation.
I don’t think anything this dude is doing is legal or constitutional. But since the supreme court and congress has let him do it, that doesn’t really matter in reality.
Congress allocated social services funds so the executive can’t legally block that
There are no conditions, so they can’t block it over an unrelated matter
The president can’t just decide to block social services funds based on some idiot streamer’s claim
The President can’t legally block social services funding to random states just because they lean against his party - they’re not even trying to justify that
The President may be able to “swarm” federal agents for a suspected fraud claim but it would be stupid. Even stupider if based only on a random YouTuber.