A Minnesota mother who spoke out Wednesday against the Trump administration’s freezing of child care funding ended up abruptly cutting her remarks short after admitting that “fraud is bad.”
The woman, who identified herself as Deko Nor, told reporters at a New Year’s Eve press conference responding to the funding pause that she is one of many Minneapolis mothers “who receives federal funding for child care for [her] kiddo.”
“If child care is cut, I am unable to work or go to school,” she went on, before beginning a sentence declaring: “I understand fraud is bad—”
Nor immediately looked down at her speech, shook her head in disbelief and placed her right hand to her mouth while inhaling sharply.
She then looked up, apparently flustered, and told the other attendees at the news conference: “I don’t think I can speak.”
Elsewhere in the press conference, another speaker had blurted out, “there is fraud,” before also placing her hands to her mouth in exasperation that she had uttered the phrase.
The US Department of Health and Human Services halted all child care funding to Minnesota until state officials can prove none of it is being used by crooks — days after a viral video from right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley showed many Twin Cities entities receiving taxpayer money appeared to be either closed or inoperable.
