This story was first published at Colorado Newsline.
DENVER | The Trump administration is giving Colorado about two weeks to provide far-reaching data and information about the safety-net programs to which the administration froze funding Tuesday.
Colorado will not get money for its Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Social Services Block Grant and Colorado Child Care and Development Fund programs while the federal government conducts a “thorough review of the State’s use of funding for compliance and alignment with statutory requirements,” according to letters sent Tuesday from the Administration for Children and Families, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Colorado is one of five Democratic-led states that are on a funding freeze totaling $10 billion for the three program.
Federal officials are concerned with the “potential for extensive and systemic fraud” in the programs that receive federal funding, and they claim to have evidence the state is illegally dispersing funds, according to the letters. They do not detail any specific incidents or allegations of fraud.
“These concerns have been heightened by recent federal prosecutions and additional allegations that substantial portions of federal resources were fraudulently diverted away from the American families they were intended to assist. Additionally, ACF has reason to believe that the State of Colorado is illicitly providing illegal aliens with (benefits) intended for American citizens and lawful permanent residents,” the letter regarding SSBG benefits reads. The three letters, one for each program. are nearly identical.
The funding freeze follows a surge of fraud cases in Minnesota involving misuse of government funds for safety-net programs. There have not been comparable fraud charges or allegations in Colorado.
The federal government is requesting the “complete universe” of administrative data for recipients of TANF, known in the state as Colorado Works, and SSBG benefits since 2022, including recipient names, addresses, Social Security Numbers, dates of birth, A-numbers and any other state identification numbers. An A-number is a registration number that U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement assigns to immigrants for official records.
Officials are also asking Colorado to document how it verifies citizenship of beneficiaries according to federal eligibility rules. And they want information about which organizations received SSBG and TANF dollars since 2019 and how they used the money.
Alex J. Adams, the assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, wrote in the letters that the administration wants this information by Jan. 20.
“These actions by the Trump administration will hurt vulnerable Coloradans across every part of this state,” Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement. “This important help for lower income families is administered by the counties and the sweeping data demands this request would place on counties — especially on short and impossible timelines — are unrealistic and risk disrupting services. No child should go without food, stability, or opportunity because of punitive federal action, and we are exploring all options to make sure Colorado children and families are supported.”
His office did not immediately respond to a question of whether the state would give information about A-numbers and its citizenship verification process.
Colorado receives about $136 million in TANF block grant funding annually, according to the Colorado Department of Human Services. Last December, over 14,000 families benefited.
For the child care funding, Colorado must immediately implement “additional fiscal accountability requirements” including submission of attendance documentation.
“CDHS is currently reviewing the requirements and assessing the potential impacts these will have on Coloradans,” CDHS spokesperson Haysel Hernandez wrote in an email. “The department remains committed to Colorado families and providing critical aid in their time of need.”
The letters do not indicate how long reviews by the federal government could take.
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