(The Center Square) – Nearly a billion federal taxpayer dollars for child care and family assistance programs are being withheld from the state of Illinois.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would freeze $10 billion from five states. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Wednesday said their goal is clear.
“The Department of Health and Human Services has also begun requiring a justification and photo evidence for all child care-related payments nationwide,” Leavitt said.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said all told, approximately $1 billion could be impacted for the Land of Lincoln. Pritzker said the freeze is “wrong, it is cruel,” and the state will take every step possible to defend those impacted.
HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said that should be easy.
“We’re not trying to slow things down, we’re not slowing things down, we’re just saying ‘when states send us a funding request for a legitimate program,’ we’re going to start saying ‘just show us some receipts,’” O’Neill told The Center Square….read more.
State Rep. Chris Miller said Illinois should be audited to the fullest extent:
“I’m glad to see that we have real leaders from President Trump’s administration that cares about targeting fraud, eliminating waste, and holding crooks accountable for abusing taxpayer funds,” Miller said. “JB Pritzker refuses to except the fact that he has created a complete disaster in Illinois because of the radical policies he supports. I think every state agency should be audited to the fullest extent to ensure Illinois tax dollars are not being exploited.”