Illinois could soon feel the impact of a major federal funding freeze affecting child care and family assistance programs. The Trump administration announced late Tuesday it is freezing the distribution of about 10 billion dollars in federal child care and family assistance funds to five Democratic-led states including Illinois.

The move means Illinois and four other states; California, Colorado, Minnesota, and New York, will now be required to submit additional documentation and justification before any of that money is released.

The freeze applies to three major federal programs overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: the Child Care and Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, also known as TANF, and the Social Services Block Grant program.

Governor JB Pritzker’s office says the decision affects about one billion dollars in funding for Illinois programs, including subsidized child care for low-income working families and funding for licensed child care providers across the state.

According to the governor’s office, about 100,000 Illinois families and more than 150,000 children are served through the state’s Child Care Assistance Program. The TANF block grant supports child care providers in every county, while the Social Services Block Grant helps fund more than 275 organizations that provide services for children, seniors, people with disabilities, and families facing poverty and food insecurity.

In a statement, Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office called the move “particularly callous,” saying tens of thousands of Illinois families depend on the services affected by the freeze. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says the action is tied to what it calls serious concerns about fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in state-run programs. The agency says it is also concerned some benefits may have gone to people who were not eligible under federal law.

However, no specific examples were cited in the announcement.

Deputy HHS Secretary Jim O’Neill says the move is about protecting program integrity and ensuring federal funds are used properly. Governor Pritzker strongly criticized the decision, saying it puts working families at risk.

In a statement, Pritzker said the funding freeze strips child care away from families who are just trying to go to work and make ends meet, calling the move wrong and cruel. He says the state will explore every option to protect families who rely on the programs. For now, state officials say they are reviewing their options as they work to restore the funding.