WASHINGTON, DC – With Mother’s Day fast approaching, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is calling for action to relieve New York’s single moms from a $25 federally-imposed administration fee for receiving child support.

The Senator, in a conference call to reporters Tuesday, said the penalty was a remnant of the Republican Congress’ 2005 Deficit Reduction Act that “attempted to balance the budget on the back of single mothers.”

Gillibrand said she learned about the penalty, which is automatically deducted from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) checks, while campaigning in Warren County last year. A single mother of three making $20,000 a year told her the amount would be enough for a week’s worth of school lunches for her children.