What to know about Trump administration freezing federal child care funds

The Trump administration has said it is freezing child care funds to all states until they provide more verification about the programs in a move fueled by a series of fraud schemes at Minnesota day care centers run by Somali residents.

All 50 states will be impacted by the review, but the Republican administration is focusing most of its ire on the blue state of Minnesota and is calling for an audit of some of its centers.

Minnesota Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement Wednesday that he was “exploring all our legal options to ensure that critical childcare services do not get abruptly slashed based on pretext and grandstanding.”

It is unclear how much more robust the verification process for states will be than it already has been.

Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill called the decision a response to “blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country” in a social media post announcing the change on Tuesday.

Here are some things to know about these moves:

All 50 states will have to provide additional levels of verification and administrative data before they receive more funding from the Child Care and Development Fund, according to a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson. However, Minnesota will have to provide even more verification for child care centers that are suspected of fraud, such as attendance and licensing records, past enforcement actions and inspection reports.

In his social media post on Tuesday, O’Neill said all Administration for Children and Families payments nationwide would require “justification and a receipt or photo evidence” before money is sent, but the HHS spokesperson said Wednesday that the additional verifications only apply to CCDF payments.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice presidential nominee, said in a social media post that fraudsters are a serious issue that the state has spent years cracking down on but that this is a political move that is part of “Trump’s long game.”

State Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy condemned the move in a statement Wednesday.

“Republicans are playing sick games and winning devastating prizes,” Murphy said. “And now, tens of thousands of Minnesota families will pay the price as Donald’s Trump’s agents strip away crucial funding.”

The administration launched efforts in recent weeks to track down fraud in other programs in Minnesota and is looking at fraud in blue states such as California and New York, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview with “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday.

The administration will continue to send officers to investigate “potential fraud sites” in Minnesota and deport undocumented immigrants, Leavitt said, adding that the Department of Homeland Security is considering plans to denaturalize citizens.

The Department of Labor is also investigating the state’s unemployment insurance program, Leavitt said. The administration this month threatened to withhold SNAP food aid funding from Democratic-controlled states, including Minnesota, unless they provide information about people receiving assistance.

The announcement came a day after U.S. Homeland Security officials conducted a fraud investigation in Minneapolis, questioning workers at unidentified businesses. Trump has criticized Walz’s administration over the cases, capitalizing on them to target the Somali diaspora in the state, which has the largest Somali population in the U.S.

In his post Tuesday, O’Neill, who is serving as acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, referenced a right-wing influencer who posted a video last week claiming he found that day care centers operated by Somali residents in Minneapolis had committed up to $100 million in fraud.

Meanwhile, there are concerns about harassment that home-based day care providers and members of the Somali community nationwide might face amid the vitriol, including Trump's comments earlier this month referring to Somali immigrants as “garbage." Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown released a statement saying, “Showing up on someone’s porch, threatening, or harassing them isn’t an investigation. Neither is filming minors who may be in the home.”

Maria Snider, director of the Rainbow Child Development Center and vice president of advocacy group Minnesota Child Care Association, said fear is rising among both families — many of which are living paycheck to paycheck — and child care centers that rely on the federal funding. Without child care system tuition, centers may have to lay off teachers and shut down classrooms, she said.

The Administration for Children and Families provides $185 million in child care funds annually to Minnesota, according to Assistant Secretary Alex Adams.

In Minnesota, the application process for the funding is complex and multilayered, Snider said. Her own child care center has been subjected to random audits, she said, and all centers are required to submit to licensing visits by officials.

“I don’t know what else I would provide,” she said.

Ahmed Hasan, director of the ABC Learning Center that was one of those featured in the video by the right-wing influencer, said on Wednesday that there were 56 children enrolled at the center. Since the video was posted, Hasan, who is Somali, said his center has received harassing phone calls making staff members and parents feel unsafe.

He said the center is routinely subject to checks by state regulators to ensure they remain in compliance with their license.

“There’s no fraud happening here,” Hasan told The Associated Press. “We are open every day, and we have our records to show that this place is open.”

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Kramon reported from Atlanta and Brumfield reported from Cockeysville, Maryland. AP Videojournalist Mark Vancleave contributed from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and AP Writer Margery Beck contributed from Omaha, Nebraska.

CORRECTS LAST NAME ABC Learning Center director Ahmed Hasan stands in the infant room at his daycare center, in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

People gather for a news conference at the state capitol in St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Giovanna Dell'Orto)

ABC Learning Center director Ahmed Hasin stands in the infant room at his daycare center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Children watch television at ABC Learning Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

FILE - Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing, June 12, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)

FILE - State Sen. Michelle Benson reacts at a news conference on Wednesday, April 10, 2019 at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul to a report by the state's legislative auditor on combatting fraud in Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski,File)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece and Cyprus are starting 2026 by turning down the volume.

The countries' capital cities, Athens and Nicosia, have traded the familiar whizz, crackle and boom of window‑rattling fireworks for spectacle without the shock wave, opting for low‑noise pyrotechnics, light shows and drone displays.

The shift aims to make New Year celebrations more child‑ and pet‑friendly — especially for animals with more sensitive hearing — in a break from the loud, combustible traditions of the past.

Athens embraced “quiet” fireworks last year, a decision Mayor Haris Doukas says signals a change in priorities.

“This marks a new era in New Year celebrations,” he said. “A spectacular show of light, without deafening noise — respecting people, animals and the environment.”

Nicosia has gone further, abandoning conventional fireworks altogether after assessing their toll. Event planners and municipal officials say fireworks can cause distress to elderly residents, infants, people with autism and those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

“This decision forms part of the municipality’s broader effort to modernize public celebrations and align them with European trends and sustainability objectives,” the municipality said.

Low-noise fireworks still rely on black powder as a propellant to launch and disperse the “stars” or pellets that create colors and visual effects. But they use smaller charges and avoid the explosive bursts that generate the loud cracks typical of traditional displays.

These quieter pyrotechnics are not new and are often incorporated into larger shows, including effects mounted on landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the London Eye.

Cris Matthews, founder of Quietworks, a U.K.-based firm specializing in low-impact firework displays, said using quieter options often requires additional planning and creativity, and are ideal for more intimate celebrations.

“The argument for low noise or quiet fireworks becomes a lot more relevant as the shows get smaller,” he said. “For displays such as weddings and private parties, lower-noise firework options can offer many more benefits.”

The private — and often deafening — use of fireworks remains common in Greece and Cyprus for occasions such as Orthodox Easter. In some rural areas, gun-owning traditions still lead to celebratory gunfire. Both practices have resulted in injuries.

Most municipalities in greater Athens this year are sticking with fireworks that include loud bangs. But New Year celebrations in the city center, framed by the ancient Acropolis, are focused on visual splendor, incorporating lights and drones as high-tech options become more sophisticated and affordable.

In Nicosia, drones have now “effectively replaced” fireworks at municipal events, delivering “high levels of creativity,” the municipality said. Unlike fireworks, drone displays generate minimal noise, produce no chemical emissions or debris, and pose no fire risk.

The timing is deliberate. Cyprus assumes the European Union’s rotating presidency on Jan. 1, and the capital plans to use drone displays to showcase Cypriot and EU symbolism throughout the year.

“The Municipality’s overarching objective is to set an example by prioritizing safer, greener, and more sustainable alternatives,” it said, “and by definitively moving away from traditional fireworks in municipal events wherever possible.”

Hadjicostis reported from Nicosia.

Fireworks exploded over the capital Nicosia during the New Year's celebrations in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Fireworks burst over the capital Nicosia during the New Year's celebrations in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

Fireworks burst over the capital Nicosia during the New Year's celebrations in the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)