Thomas Massie repeatedly tried to stop or limit funding for the fraudulent daycare programs, especially after major fraud was uncovered in Minnesota involving hundreds of millions to potentially billions in misused federal child care funds. He publicly called out the $8 billion nationwide program for lacking guardrails against theft, challenged GOP leaders like Speaker Johnson and Leader Thune to fix it instead of just extending funding, and claimed he was the only Republican who never voted to fund those fraudulent centers. When a judge blocked Trump’s efforts to withhold funds from high-fraud states, Massie offered a specific amendment to an omnibus bill. It would have let the HHS Secretary temporarily freeze payments to risky states under programs like the Child Care and Development Fund until fraud reviews were done. That amendment got blocked in the Rules Committee. He’s been vocal about it into 2026, criticizing both parties for keeping the funding flowing without real oversight. The Minnesota scandal—tied to things like fake enrollments and kickbacks—has been a big flashpoint, with Massie pushing hard against it while most of Congress kept the money moving.
per Grok