(LEX 18) — Following President Donald Trump's signed executive order to freeze all federal grants and loans, Kentucky Senator Chambers Armstrong highlighted the impact she says it will have on Kentucky's childcare assistance program.
Senator Armstrong released the following statement:
“I am extremely troubled by President Trump’s executive orders freezing federal assistance. As a mom of young kids who understands what it’s like to struggle to find childcare, I am especially worried about the impact on our childcare assistance program. Thousands of working families in Kentucky depend on this program to afford care for their children. Without childcare, these parents cannot go to work, which means they can't support their family and can't contribute to the workforce. I have heard from people who are scared about this order and what it means for their family. I hope we can come together in a bipartisan effort to ensure that no family in Kentucky loses access to childcare because of this order.
According to a release from the Kentucky General Assembly, the state receives almost $100 million annually from the federal Child Care Development Block Grant. Around 70% of those funds reportedly go to direct services to children through the Child Care Assistance Program, the assembly noted.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration froze all federal grant and loan funding in order to review government spending, Scripps News previously reported.
The pause is set to begin on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET and blocks the disbursement of nearly all federal funding.
