Former President Donald Trump is thinking about a bold new policy idea to help stop the falling birthrate in the United States: giving women who give birth a $5,000 “baby bonus.”
Birth rates in the country have dropped to their lowest level in decades, and the proposal, which is still in its early stages, wants to encourage people to have children.
The Baby Bonus Plan
The $5,000 bonus would be given to mothers after the birth of each child, and the amount would go up with each new birth.
This is said to be one of many ideas that Trump and his team are thinking about as they try to get back into the White House.
The goal is to make it easier for American families to have children without breaking the bank, which will then raise the national birthrate.
A lot of news sources have talked about the plan since The New York Times first wrote about it. When asked about the idea in the Oval Office, Trump said, “Sounds like a good idea to me,” which showed that he agreed with it.
Other Incentives Under Review
In addition to the baby bonus, the Trump team is looking into multiple family-focused incentives. These include:
- Tax Credits for Married Couples: Larger tax breaks for couples with children to reward growing families.
- Fulbright Scholarship Modifications: Reserving 30% of Fulbright Program scholarships for applicants who are married with children.
- Education on Fertility and Menstrual Cycles: Launching government-funded programs to help women better understand fertility, potentially helping them conceive more easily.
- National Medal of Motherhood: A symbolic proposal to honor women who raise six or more children.
These ideas highlight a broad strategy aimed at encouraging family formation through both financial and educational support.
The Birthrate Crisis
Since 2007, the birthrate in the U.S. has been steadily going down. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that just under 3.6 million babies were born in 2023. (Source)
This is less than 76,000 babies less than the previous year and the fewest babies born in a single year since 1979.
Experts say that falling birthrates can hurt the economy in the long run by reducing the number of people working and putting more strain on social security services.
Trump has said many times how important it is to stop this trend. He said, “We will support baby booms and baby bonuses for a new baby boom” at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2023. “I want a lot of babies.”
Reactions to the Proposal
Different people have different thoughts on the suggested baby bonus. People who support the idea say that the cash incentive could help parents who are struggling to raise their kids, especially since the cost of living is going up.
They think that this kind of bonus could be the last push couples need to start a family or add to their existing one.
But some people question whether or not it is moral and reasonable to pay people to give birth.
A professor of medical ethics at New York University named Art Caplan said the idea was “morally offensive” and raised concerns about how money could be used to affect people’s reproductive decisions.
Others say that $5,000 might not really be enough to cover the high cost of having a child in the U.S., which can reach over $200,000 by the time they are 18.
Will It Happen?
Even though the idea has gotten a lot of press, it is still just an idea. To put the plan into action, it would need to be approved by Congress, where it could face opposition or delays.
Still, Trump has already done things to support family planning. For example, he signed an order earlier this year to make in vitro fertilization (IVF) more available.
“The President wants America to be a country where all children can safely grow up and achieve the American dream,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said about the plan.
She said that Trump wants to make the world a better place for families from all walks of life.