When Washington says “show your work,” Colorado’s first move should not be a group therapy session. FOX31 Denver covered the blowback around funding cuts that are hitting childcare support, and the worry is real for working families trying to keep a job while keeping their kids safe.
Here’s the honest part: I can have sympathy for families getting squeezed and still be concerned about government spending, waste, and fraud. Those aren’t enemies. They’re adult thoughts living in the same room.
The Bullet Point Brief
- Childcare support cuts are causing real anxiety for Colorado families trying to stay employed.
- I have sympathy for the people feeling the hit and I am not dismissing their stress.
- I also have serious concern about government expenditures and fraud.
- The Trump administration has essentially requested receipts.
- Colorado should respond with documentation and reform, not performative outrage.
My Bottom Line
Two things can be true at once. I have great concern for the problems these cuts will cause Colorado families, and I have great concern about government expenditures and fraud. If you only talk about one of those, you’re not solving the problem, you’re auditioning for cable news.
The Trump administration has essentially requested receipts. Fine. Then the Colorado Department of Human Services and Healthcare Policy and Finance should stop wringing their hands, gnashing their teeth, and provide what the administration wants rather than complain about it. If the money is clean and targeted, prove it and move on.
I get it: reliable childcare is essential to a healthy workforce. It also helps vulnerable families get parents to work. I believe that. But it’s still fair to ask the uncomfortable question: Why does the government have to pay for it?
If your program can’t survive sunlight, it’s not a program, it’s a racket.
Translated: Show the receipts, cut the nonsense, and fix the system so families aren’t trapped in dependence.
And while we’re at it, government should work with providers by knocking down regulatory hurdles and paving the way for greater capacity in facilities. Solve the capacity problem, don’t just keep stroking a check using taxper dollars and calling it compassion.
Source: FOX31 Denver
