Overview
- At a White House Easter luncheon, President Trump said Washington cannot pay for Medicaid, Medicare or daycare during wartime and said he told OMB Director Russell Vought not to send daycare money.
- The Pentagon reported more than $11.3 billion spent in the first week of U.S. operations in Iran, a cost the president cited to justify narrowing federal responsibilities to military protection.
- The Department of Health and Human Services has already halted childcare and family assistance funds to California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York, alleging misuse of federal grants.
- Trump announced on Truth Social a new anti-fraud task force led by Vice President J.D. Vance, saying the effort would focus primarily on Democratic-led states.
- Democrats condemned the move, with Rep. Ro Khanna arguing the billions spent on the Iran campaign could cover affordable childcare for families instead.