Overview
- U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick issued a preliminary injunction on Friday ordering HHS to continue disbursing funds while the lawsuit proceeds.
- The order covers California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York, which together receive more than $10 billion annually from TANF, the Child Care and Development Fund and the Social Services Block Grant.
- Two temporary court rulings had already paused the freeze in January, and the new order extends protections for the duration of the case.
- In a January hearing, government lawyer Kamika Shaw could not point to specific evidence of fraud and at times referenced unspecified media reports.
- States argue the freeze skipped required procedures and was politically motivated, and the ruling also bars the administration from compelling the five states to turn over extensive beneficiary data.