February 25, 2026
Ms. Chu (for herself, Mr. Neal, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Sánchez, Ms. Sewell, Ms. DelBene, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Mr. Boyle of Pennsylvania, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Gomez, Mr. Horsford, Ms. Plaskett, and Mr. Suozzi) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means
Of inquiry requesting the President and directing the
Secretary of Health and Human Services to transmit, respectively, certain documents to
the House of Representatives relating to the Defend the Spend
freeze on
child care payments to all States, Tribes, and Territories.
That
the President of the United States is requested, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services is directed, to transmit, to the extent that such documents are in the possession of the President or the Secretary, to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the date of adoption of this resolution, copies of any document, audit trail, record, audio recording, memorandum, call log, correspondence (electronic or otherwise), written agreements, report, study, contract, staffing assignment, legal analysis, or other communication in their possession, or any portion of any document, record, audit trail, audio recording, memorandum, call log, contract, staffing assignment, legal analysis, correspondence (electronic or otherwise), or other communication, that refers or relates to the following:
(1)
The tweet by Health and Human Services (HHS) Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill on December 30, 2025, freezing all Administration for Children and Families (ACF) payments and reinstituting Defend the Spend
procedures.
(2)
Drawdown of Child Care Entitlement to States (CCES) allocations authorized under section 418 of the Social Security Act via the Payment Management System (PMS) any time after December 30, 2025, by any State, Territory, or Tribal CCES grantee.
(3)
Payment management system delays and procedure for addressing funding delays and complaints after April 15, 2025, related to entitlement funding authorized under title IV or subtitle A of title XX of the Social Security Act.
(4)
HHS, ACF, and Executive Office of the President social media posts alleging child care fraud and resulting threats to, and harassment of, individual child care providers after December 30, 2025.
(5)
Warning letters, referrals to the Office of the Inspector General, or other disciplinary actions regarding alleged funding misuse by any grantee who has received a payment funded in whole or in part under title IV of the Social Security Act between January 20, 2025, and December 1, 2025.
(6)
Communication with grantees regarding the submission of additional data in order to draw down funds provided in whole or in part under title IV of the Social Security Act and the storage, use, and sharing of such data within and outside of HHS after April 15, 2025.
(7)
Payments to contractors or consultants related to Defend the Spend
requirements, procedures, or implementation which affect funds provided under title IV of the Social Security Act.
(8)
Legal opinions regarding the designation as proprietary
, nonpublic, or unavailable to congressional requesters of such information related to contracting, spending of legally authorized funding, referrals to the Office of the Inspector General, staffing assignments, or procedures related to funding authorized under title IV or subtitle A of title XX of the Social Security Act.
(9)
Contracts, staffing assignments, and instructions to contractors and any HHS staff (whether based in the District of Columbia or regionally) regarding the Defend the Spend
criteria and process for State, Tribal, or Territorial entitlements under subtitle A of title IV of the Social Security Act.
(10)
Contracts with States, Tribes, and Territories governing any payment management system operative in 2025 and 2026 and used to provide grantee access to entitlement funding provided under title IV of the Social Security Act.
(11)
Meetings, discussions, or other actions involving the HHS Office of the General Counsel or outside legal advisors regarding the use of a payment management system by grantees or efforts to provide, delay, or prevent access to entitlement funding, including such funding authorized under title IV or subtitle A of title XX of the Social Security Act, after January 20, 2025.