WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, the Child Care for Every Family Network is setting the record straight about Secretary Kennedy\u2019s comments in recent Congressional hearings about the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to dismantle child care and Head Start. Despite his platitudes and obfuscation, Kennedy dodged questions, pleaded ignorance, and attacked members when asked about the Trump Administration\u2019s ongoing efforts to undermine Head Start and child care across the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Andrea Paluso and Erica Gallegos, Co-Executive Directors of the Child Care for Every Family Network, released the following statement: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSecretary Kennedy\u2019s actions attacking Head Start and child care speak a lot louder than his platitudes in front of Congress. The reality is that Kennedy fired his staff working on child care and Head Start and delayed billions of dollars funding, forcing programs to close. Families across the country aren’t buying Secretary Kenendy\u2019s act, and we will continue to hold the Trump administration accountable for their anti-family policies.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n See below for examples of Secretary Kennedy\u2019s claims in front of Congress and the facts surrounding each of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kennedy\u2019s Claim:<\/strong> Secretary Kennedy first claimed<\/a> he did not know about any delays in Head Start funding, and then blamed workers inside HHS that want to make the Trump Administration \u201clook bad\u201d\u2013without providing any evidence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fact: <\/strong>There has been widespread reporting for months showing delays in Head Start funding, including some centers being forced to temporarily shut down until funding resumed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kennedy\u2019s Claim: <\/strong>Secretary Kennedy claimed<\/a> that he fought \u201cvery hard\u201d to make sure Head Start got its funding next year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fact:<\/strong> Details of President Trump\u2019s Fiscal Year 2026 have not yet been released, and other members of the Administration are vehemently opposed to Head Start. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, the Trump Administration has already begun to sabotage the Head Start program, which primarily serves low-income families of color, immigrant families, and children with disabilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kennedy\u2019s Claim:<\/strong> When asked a simple question about HHS withholding federal child care assistance funding (known as the Child Care and Development Block Grant), Secretary Kennedy launched<\/a> into a tirade unrelated to child care, personally attacking Senator Patty Murray, so much so that the Chair of the Subcommittee had to instruct him to \u201chold back.\u201d Kennedy finally admitted that his department is blocking Congressionally approved and appropriated child care funding\u2013but did not offer any reason why. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Fact:<\/strong> The Trump Administration has failed to send out federal child care funding<\/a> to state agencies. States use these funds to provide child care assistance to millions of families who depend on it to afford child care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ###<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Child Care for Every Family Network is the national movement and campaign to transform child care, representing 1,500+ child care providers, impacted families, state and national organizations, and organizers across the country. Learn more: <\/em>childcareforeveryfamily.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Despite his platitudes and obfuscation in front on Congress, Kennedy dodged questions,\u00a0pleaded\u00a0ignorance, and attacked members when asked about the Trump Administration\u2019s ongoing efforts to undermine Head Start and child care across the country.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/childcareforeveryfamily.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases\/1953"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/childcareforeveryfamily.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/press_releases"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/childcareforeveryfamily.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/press_releases"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/childcareforeveryfamily.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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