Groups seek records tying Trump freeze to influencer video
The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court is the latest legal challenge over the Trump administration’s January decision to freeze funds for the Child Care and Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Social Services Block Grant for California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York.
The groups’ FOIA request, filed in March, sought records related to an October 2024 HHS Office of Inspector General report that the administration cited as evidence of widespread fraud. State officials and advocates have argued the fraud allegations are baseless and were used as cover for a politically and racially motivated attack on programs serving low-income families, communities of color and immigrant households.
The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring HHS to promptly process and release all non-exempt communications, including records referencing the terms “fraud” and “Somali,” and correspondence between federal officials and Nick Shirley, whose research the administration cited to justify the restrictions.
The five states sued the administration in January to stop the freeze. A federal judge blocked the action, finding the administration likely overstepped its authority by withholding money Congress had already appropriated, and ordered the funds to resume flowing while the case proceeds.
The lawsuit alleges the funding restrictions and attempted freeze have caused panic and fear among families reliant on the programs and have resulted in delays in child care funding.