Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was one of just four Democrats to vote in favor of a bill aimed at cracking down on childcare fraud perpetrated through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG).

The house passed the bill 217-207, despite opposition from Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and the vast majority of other Democrats.

All Republicans supported the bill, and Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-Tex.), Vincente Gonzalez (D-Tex.), and Don Davis (D-N.C.) joined Rep. Golden in voting against their party majority.

The bill, the “No Funds for Repeat Child Care Violations Act of 2026,” was put forward by Rep. Mary Miller (R-Ill.).

CCDBG funding is intended to help low-income families pay to send their children to daycare. In Maine, the grant funds are paid to the daycares directly by the state.

The bill would require the Office of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to impose sanctions on states found to have improperly used the grant funding.

Those sanctions would disqualify the state from receiving funds under the program.

Currently, the ACF is permitted but not required to impose sanctions on non-compliant states.

The vote comes as the Trump Administration has initiated a nationwide crackdown on fraud spearheaded by Vice President J.D. Vance.

While in Maine the majority of fraud uncovered by The Maine Wire has been related to healthcare providers and Medicaid, other states, like Minnesota, have seen significant amounts of childcare fraud from daycares drawing millions in taxpayer funds without actually providing any services or caring for any children.