Mike Pierce, a candidate for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District, said the Trump administration’s freeze of billions in federal child care and social services funding highlights the urgent need to ensure that federal aid programs are protected from fraud and serve the people who genuinely need them.
The Trump administration is freezing more than $10 billion in federal child care and social services funding nationwide, including substantial allocations for Illinois, amid concerns that benefits may have been fraudulently claimed by non-citizens. According to the New York Post, the freeze affects programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Child Care Development Fund, and the Social Services Block Grant.
“The impact will have serious ramifications for Illinois residents who are on federal aid programs,” Pierce told DeKalb Times. “I have family members who have been and continue to be on Public Aid, and it is frustrating to see the most vulnerable in our society being hurt because of the actions of illegal, predatory fraudsters who ruin such programs.”
Pierce said billions of dollars have been stolen from taxpayers and the vulnerable people these programs were meant to help.
“These funds were meant to help disabled seniors on stretched incomes, mothers who are unable to work, and so forth,” he said. “What we have been seeing in the information released so far is Billions of dollars stolen from the taxpayers- and the very people who need these special programs, whether autistic or disabled children, to truly destitute and homeless individuals.”
Federal officials have formally requested detailed recipient records from Illinois going back to 2019 as part of an investigation into alleged misuse of social services funds. While governors in other Democratic-led states publicly denounced the freezing of funds as political retaliation, Illinois officials had not issued a public response at the time, according to the New York Post.
Pierce said state leaders must take immediate action to protect those who are genuinely needy.
“It is truly sad that Illinoisans who are truly needy will be punished because of the actions of their leaders,” he said.
U.S. Judge Arun Subramanian of the Southern District of New York temporarily blocked the administration’s freeze on federal child care and family assistance funds for low-income families in Illinois on Jan. 9, according to USA Today. Illinois, California, Colorado, Minnesota, and New York had filed suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services after the funding was cut off.
A federal judge on Feb. 6 overturned the Trump administration’s $10 billion freeze on child care and family planning funds directed at five Democratic-led states, including Illinois, according to ABC7 Chicago. Judge Vernon S. Broderick of the Southern District of New York ordered the administration, through a preliminary injunction, to restore access to the frozen funds. Despite raising fraud allegations, the administration supplied no evidence to back the claims. The injunction will remain until a final legal determination on the freeze is made.
The freezing of funds comes amid reports that Minnesota’s social-services system was exploited in what federal prosecutors describe as “industrial-scale fraud,” involving fake nonprofits and businesses billing the state for services never provided. Investigators estimate the alleged theft may total as much as $9 billion since 2018, one of the largest public-benefit fraud schemes in U.S. history, according to the New York Post.
Suspects allegedly fabricated entire child care enterprises, forging client files, recruiting family members, and traveling from other states to generate bogus claims. The fraud has led to 92 defendants and dozens of convictions, with millions allegedly funneled overseas or spent on luxury goods.
As new details emerged, including a viral video from independent journalist Nick Shirley showing nearly empty, state-subsidized child care centers collecting millions in funding, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz abruptly suspended his re-election campaign. Republicans cited the development as evidence of accountability failures under his leadership, according to Minnesota State Wire.
He said federal investigations in Minnesota serve as a warning for Illinois.
“The State of Minnesota has a major problem with its social programs being defrauded on an unprecedented scale. Many people believe this is the tip of the iceberg and that as the investigations go deeper, it will reach into other States including Illinois.”
President Donald Trump commented on the Minnesota scandal, saying it revealed widespread mismanagement in multiple states.
“Governor Walz has destroyed the State of Minnesota, but others, like Governor Gavin Newscum, JB Pritzker, and Kathy Hochul, have done, in my opinion, an even more dishonest and incompetent job,” Trump said on Truth Social. “NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW!”
Pierce that Gov. J.B. Pritzker has contributed to the mismanagement of state programs.
“Gov. Pritzker is as much a part of the movement by the Democratic Socialists as any politician in this country. He cannot be unaware of what has been going on in Minnesota, and it is only a matter of time before misdeeds under his watch come out. Rather than being peacemakers and leaders, these politicians have ridden the wave of discontent, financing it through fraudulent NGO programs that bring in thousands of illegal aliens and leave them dependent on the state.”
Just over a year ago, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker praised Gov. Walz after Vice President Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate, calling him “a proven leader who brings to public service the big heart and hard work of a Midwesterner,” and noting that they spoke frequently and exchanged cell phone numbers, according to ABC7 Chicago.
In May 2025, Illinois House Republicans, including State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville), claimed that more than $1 billion in taxpayer money was being funneled to politically connected nonprofits. Halbrook noted that $14 million for the Indo-American Center was “just a drop in the bucket,” according to The Center Square.
Republicans proposed a $44 billion state budget, which was ultimately rejected by Pritzker-aligned lawmakers in the General Assembly.
Pierce emphasized the need for stronger enforcement and oversight of nonprofits receiving public funds.
“The state needs to enforce the laws evenly across the board that govern these organizations,” he said. “Part of the problem is lack of competency at the state level, but much of it is willful ignorance. Oversight, enforcement, and tightening up loopholes is how we will pull these NGOs back into compliance. Too many politicians benefit from these activities and lack the political will to act.”
Illinois House Republicans cited the Illinois DOGE series in showing that over $1 billion in taxpayer funds flowed to nonprofits with minimal oversight. According to the Macon Reporter, major recipients included the Indo-American Center ($25 million), ONE Northside ($1.25 million), the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce ($11.4 million since 2020, including $4 million in FY25), Centro de Trabajadores Unidos ($7 million total), the Black Researchers Collective ($700,000 annually), the Chicago Therapy Collective ($1.5 million in FY24), and TMH Mancave ($750,000). Additionally, more than $73 million went to local chambers and economic development nonprofits, and $237 million was allocated to racial, ethnic, and religious NGOs.
He called for a nonpartisan investigation of federally funded programs and nonprofits in Illinois.
“Illinois legislators should call for a special investigation into all programs and NGOs supercharged with federal funds in the last ten years. This team should examine the purpose, makeup, mission efficacy, and return on investment in terms of helping people move from dependency to independence.”
He also highlighted the impact of illegal immigration on state aid programs.
“The State of Illinois has had many thousands of illegal aliens come into the State for the last several years,” Pierce said. “Complex schemes designed to help facilitate this have been devised so that it assists people, while at the same time leaving them in an illegal status. This results in certain organizations being able to draw out funds indirectly that were meant for Illinoisans who were already needy.”
Pierce said that protecting funding is not a partisan issue.
“Illinois voters need to understand that this is not a Republican or Democrat issue. This is an Illinois issue, an American issue, a community issue. If we cannot ensure that funds are used wisely, we waste resources and hurt our most vulnerable. In 2024, Illinois spent $7.6 million on its veterans but $1.6 billion on illegal aliens. How much more of a disparity do we need before leaders take action?”
Pierce, a Republican, is challenging seven-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-Illinois) for Illinois’ 11th Congressional District.
Illinois’ 11th Congressional District, in the Chicago metropolitan area, spans parts of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties. Key cities include Aurora, Joliet, Naperville, Crest Hill, and Warrenville, along with numerous villages.
