Democratic senators accuse Trump administration of worsening US childcare crisis
Seven Democratic senators led by Elizabeth Warren have accused the Trump administration of destabilising the childcare system through funding cuts and regulatory changes, demanding detailed data from the Administration for Children and Families by October 14.
A group of Democratic US senators has sent a letter to Alex Adams, assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), accusing the Trump administration of worsening the country's childcare crisis. The letter, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, argues that federal funding cuts and changes to programs such as Head Start are destabilising an already fragile system.
According to the letter, childcare costs rose faster than overall inflation in 2025, with the cost of daycare and preschool increasing by 3.5% in the year to May 2026. The senators say rising costs for food, supplies, insurance, rent and utilities are forcing providers to choose between raising tuition or closing down. More than 400 daycare centres have closed in Oklahoma since November, while more than 300 programmes have shut in Indiana since September last year, the letter states.
Head Start funding freeze
The senators criticise the administration's handling of Head Start, the federal early education program for low-income families. They say the Department of Health and Human Services unlawfully froze funding for grantees shortly after Trump took office, forcing some Head Start programs to temporarily close and leaving thousands of vulnerable families facing uncertainty over childcare.
The letter also points to a January decision by the ACF to freeze $2.4bn in Child Care and Development Fund grants across five states. Although the freeze was later rescinded following legal challenges, the senators warn a similar move could recur.
In May, the ACF finalised a rule rescinding Biden-era requirements, including a cap limiting eligible families' childcare co-payments to 7% of income and provisions requiring states to pay providers based on enrollment. The senators argue these changes could raise costs for families and push providers out of business. They also raised concerns about proposed changes to Head Start, including loosening child-to-teacher ratio rules and rolling back staff wage and benefit requirements, warning this could worsen staff turnover and reduce access to quality care.
The senators have asked ACF to provide, by October 14, data on how many childcare centers have closed since January 2025 and how average costs have changed. The letter is signed by Warren and six other senators: Raphael Warnock, Jeffrey Merkley, Andy Kim, Peter Welch, Ben Ray Luján and Angela Alsobrooks.
