by Brian Almon, Gem State Chronicle
BOISE, Idaho — In the wake of allegations of widespread fraud involving taxpayer child care subsidies in Minnesota’s Somali community, two Idaho lawmakers have sent a letter to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) Director Juliet Charron requesting a suspension of $14 million in grant funding appropriated last year by the Legislature until enhanced safeguards could be put in place to ensure funds are not being used fraudulently.
Sen. Brian Lenney (R-Nampa) and Rep. Josh Tanner (R-Eagle) each posted copies of the letter, dated December 31, on social media.
Senate Bill 1206, passed in the final days of the 2025 legislative session, included several appropriations, among them $14 million for “the Governor’s initiative to utilize existing, previously unspent federal funds for the Idaho Child Care Program, to aid in building supply through contracted spots, grants, and subgrants, with a specific focus on addressing underserved populations.”
Sen. Lenney voted against SB 1206 on the Senate floor, via his substitute. Rep. Tanner carried the bill out of the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee (JFAC) and sponsored it on the House floor. The appropriation was intended to support licensed and unlicensed home-based child care providers, community child care centers, and after-school child care programs. The funding explicitly prohibited spending on building construction or permanent subsidies.
Sen. Lenney elaborated on his opposition in a Substack post published Wednesday morning.
I voted against Senate Bill 1206 during the 2025 session because it appropriated over $14 million in new childcare subsidies without adequate fraud prevention safeguards in place. The bill dumps money into building childcare supply through contracted spots, grants, and subgrants…
But it does nothing to ensure that money actually reaches legitimate providers serving real Idaho families.
Minnesota’s billion-dollar disaster proves exactly why proper safeguards matter before you start writing checks. This isn’t about stopping support for working families who need quality childcare, because those families deserve better than a system riddled with fraud that drives up costs and reduces access to legitimate providers.
Idaho Senator Brian Lenney
The letter also notes that two prominent Idaho officials now hold leadership roles within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Former DHW Director Alex Adams recently became assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, while outgoing JFAC co-chair Rep. Wendy Horman has been appointed director of the Office of Child Care.
On Tuesday, Adams joined HHS deputy secretary Jim O’Neil in announcing a temporary freeze on all federal child care payments to Minnesota amid fraud concerns:
Today we have taken three actions against the blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota and across the country:
1. I have activated our defend the spend system for all ACF payments. Starting today, all ACF payments across America will require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence before we send money to a state.
2. Alex Adams and I have identified the individuals in @nickshirleyy‘s excellent work. I have demanded from @GovTimWalz a comprehensive audit of these centers. This includes attendance records, licenses, complaints, investigations, and inspections.
3. We have launched a dedicated fraud-reporting hotline and email address at https://childcare.gov Whether you are a parent, provider, or member of the general public, we want to hear from you.
We have turned off the money spigot and we are finding the fraud.
Alex Adams
Sen. Lenney and Rep. Tanner requested a response from Director Charron and the Department of Health and Welfare by January 10, shortly before the start of the 2026 legislative session.
Originally published on Gem State Chronicle
