The Trump administration’s Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is calling out Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) for hypocrisy as his state is among those diverting the Social Security Survivor Benefits of orphaned children to pay for child welfare costs.
ACF Assistant Secretary Alex Adams brought attention to this issue in December, writing a letter to 39 states calling on them to protect the benefits of these children rather than using those funds to offset other costs. Oftentimes, state welfare agencies will take these earned survivor benefits — intended to go directly to the children — and use them to reimburse themselves.
A 2025 document titled “Benefits for Children” from the Social Security Administration explicitly states that, “If a child receives survivors benefits, they can get up to 75 percent of the deceased parent’s basic Social Security benefit.”
Essentially, Adams, under the leadership of the Trump administration, is urging governors to step it up and work with their respective states to ensure that orphans actually receive the survivor benefits they are entitled to receive.
“At HHS, our guiding principle is simple: every child deserves a home and a fair chance to thrive. But when state agencies stack the deck against children, we step in,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. said in a statement last year amid Adams sending that letter to 39 states, urging them to stop this practice.
He added, “In the Trump Administration, we are committed to ensuring every child in America has the chance to reach their full potential.”
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