Dr. Richard Pan Responds to Trump Administration Child Care Funding Freeze

Sacramento, CA — Dr. Richard Pan, pediatrician and former State Senator, issued the following statement after the Trump administration announced it is withholding federal funding for child care and social services in California and other states. The administration has offered no evidence to justify the funding freeze, a move state leaders say will disrupt essential child care and social services for families.

“Child care is essential to children’s safety and to parents’ ability to work. Freezing these funds puts families in an impossible position and threatens services that millions of Californians rely on every day,” said Dr. Pan.

State leaders warn the funding freeze will disrupt child care, services for seniors and people with disabilities, and support for families struggling to afford basic necessities.

“When child care funding is pulled back, providers are destabilized, access is reduced, and costs rise for families who are already stretched thin,” Pan continued. “Parents should not have to choose between earning a paycheck and knowing their children are safe.”

Dr. Pan emphasized that affordable, reliable child care is critical to family stability and a functioning economy.

“This decision moves us in the wrong direction,” Pan said. “In Congress, I will fight to protect child care and social services funding, support early learning, and oppose policies that raise costs and make it harder for families to stay in the workforce.”

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Dr. Richard Pan is a pediatrician, educator, small business owner and Former State Senator dedicated to keeping California’s families healthy and safe. In the State Senate, he championed landmark child and school safety laws and lowered the uninsured rate among children by two-thirds – taking on RFK Jr. twice after preventable disease outbreaks. A Harvard-trained pediatrician and UC Davis professor, he has cared for underserved children, trained future doctors and co-founded Healthy Kids Healthy Future, providing health coverage to more than 65,000 kids. 

Known for flipping his state legislative seat from Red to Blue, Dr. Pan is a proven fighter who brings people together to get results — expanding access to health care, strengthening schools, and improving public safety. A husband, father, and small business owner, he understands the challenges families face and is running for Congress to make government work for people again, so every child and family in California has the chance to succeed.