Association of Counties calls on Feds to restore funding and work with states to address fraud concerns

Press Release, NYS Association of Counties

The Trump Administration’s freeze on funding for three critical social service programs threatens to destabilize essential services that support the state’s most vulnerable children and families, according to the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC), the municipal association that represents the State’s 57 counties and the City of New York.

The Association is calling on the Federal government to restore these funds and work with states to address legitimate fraud concerns through proper oversight channels.

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) notified New York State on January 6 that it will withhold funding for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Child Care Development Fund (CCDF), and Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) programs in New York and four other states. In New York, these programs are administered and partially funded by counties and local taxpayers.

“This funding freeze could lead to devastating consequences for innocent children and families who rely on childcare subsidies, local taxpayers, and the counties that administer these programs,” said NYSAC President Philip R. Church, the Oswego County Administrator. “While we all support rigorous oversight and fraud prevention, and work hard to ensure taxpayer dollars are used appropriately, a blanket withholding is the wrong approach and will create collateral damage that far exceeds any fraud concerns.”

As part of a broader action targeting California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York, HHS is freezing over $10 billion in funding nationwide for these programs.

“If this funding is not restored, it will cause massive disruption to programs that help hundreds of thousands of working families,” said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario. “Losing child care subsidies will hit working families hard and exacerbate New York’s affordability crisis. Most forms of federal public assistance will disappear and when that happens, costs will get shifted to county-taxpayer-funded Safety Net programs.”

A prolonged freeze will cause a fiscal catastrophe for New York’s counties, which are now facing billions in new costs from the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which shifts significant new SNAP administrative costs and Medicaid expenses to counties.

Counties across New York State determine eligibility for child care assistance and administer public assistance programs using a combination of federal and state dollars. Family Assistance, which operates under federal TANF guidelines, forms the foundation of cash assistance programs statewide. The Social Services Block Grant consists entirely of federal funding and supports a range of services including child welfare, child protective services, and child care.

Under federal law, the TANF grant is an entitlement to states, established through the welfare reform legislation of the late 1990s. While that legislation eliminated the welfare entitlement to individuals, it created an entitlement to states that were then authorized to build their own programs as long as they met federal guidelines. This state entitlement ensured that services would continue to flow to eligible recipients.

“Our county leaders share the federal government’s commitment to program integrity and preventing fraud,” said Acquario. “Any and every allegation of fraud should be investigated and prosecuted through proper channels, not by withholding funding that supports hundreds of thousands of eligible New York families who have done nothing wrong.”

NYSAC will seek to join the New York State Attorney General’s lawsuit to restore child care funding and ensure continuity of services for eligible families.

NYSAC calls on the Trump administration to:

• Immediately restore funding for TANF, CCDF, and SSBG programs to ensure continuity of services;
• Work with New York to address fraud concerns through existing federal oversight mechanisms;
• Target enforcement actions at specific bad actors rather than implementing blanket funding cuts that harm innocent eligible families; and
• Recognize that New York State has robust eligibility verification systems in place and should not be penalized for isolated instances of fraud.

“New York counties will continue to serve our residents and uphold our role as safety net providers for our neighbors most at need,” said Church. “But we need our federal partners to work with us constructively, not against us. Cutting off funding will hurt innocent families these programs were designed to protect.”

Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney

Claudia Tenney

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) yesterday announced she formally nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for the third time in recognition of his historic Abraham Accords, citing his record of advancing decisive diplomacy and delivering peace through strength.

The nomination highlights President Trump’s groundbreaking work to advance peace and cooperation through the Abraham Accords, which resulted in normalization agreements between Israel and Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, and Sudan, marking the first such agreements between Israel and Arab nations since 1994.

It also underscores Trump’s extraordinary diplomatic record in his second term, during which he successfully negotiated settlements to eight international conflicts within a single year, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, India and Pakistan, Cambodia and Thailand, Egypt and Ethiopia, Serbia and Kosovo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda, Israel and Iran, and Israel and Hamas.

These diplomatic efforts reflect a sustained focus on de-escalation, dialogue, and negotiated outcomes unmatched in modern history, and President Trump continues to work towards achieving peace and stability in some of the world’s most volatile regions.

“President Trump has delivered something many said was impossible: real, lasting peace through diplomacy,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “I nominated President Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for the third time, and I encourage all who are eligible, including my colleagues in Congress, to do the same through the formal process.

“Through the Abraham Accords, longstanding barriers to normalization in the Middle East were overcome, and in his second term alone his administration negotiated settlements to eight international conflicts within one year. Extraordinary. President Trump changed the course of human history with these agreements, his leadership has saved lives and strengthened international stability, and he continues to deliver peace through strength.”

Press Release, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today encouraged constituents to prepare for tax filing season by reviewing new tax relief provisions made available under the Trump Tax Cuts and the guidance released by the Internal Revenue Service.

The IRS published detailed information to help taxpayers understand how the new law affects filing for the 2025 tax year. Key provisions include allowing eligible workers to deduct up to $25,000 in qualified tips and up to $12,500 in eligible overtime pay, with higher limits for joint filers.

The law also includes enhanced relief for seniors and maintains pro-growth policies that support small businesses and working families. These commonsense changes are designed to reward hard work, let Americans keep more of what they earn, and ensure taxpayers can file correctly while taking full advantage of the new benefits.

“Hardworking Americans deserve a tax code that rewards work instead of punishing it, and the Trump Tax Cuts deliver exactly that,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “Service workers who rely on tips, employees who put in overtime hours, seniors living on fixed incomes, and small business owners across NY-24 now have real opportunities to keep more of their hard-earned money. These reforms recognize the value of work, strengthen family finances, and bring fairness back to the tax system. As filing season approaches, I encourage constituents to review the IRS guidance, understand how these provisions apply to them, and make sure they claim every benefit they earned under this law.”

For full IRS guidelines and more information, click here.

Press Release, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, Western District of New York

Joshua Mahley

BUFFALO – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a six-count indictment charging Joshua Mahley, 42, of Gasport, NY, with interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct, transportation of a minor, penalties for registered sex offenders, and obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen M. McCarthy, who is handling the case, stated according to the indictment, in December 2010, Mahley was convicted in Orleans County Court of Rape in the Second Degree, Sexual Intercourse by Person 18 or More with Person Less than 15, and Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree, and is a registered sex offender in New York State.

On three separate occasions in June, July and August 2025, Mahley traveled across state lines to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor victim. In September 2025, Mahley transported the minor victim across state lines to engage in sexual activity. In addition, on September 8, 2025, Mahley possessed visual depictions, namely obscene computer, and AI generated images, depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Filicetti and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Philip Tejera.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.