Baby bonus: Can Trump boost the birth rate?

Parenthood isn't just a financial decision. "It's also a profound act of hope"—and Americans aren't "feeling especially hopeful."

(Image credit: Jimmy Beunardeau / Hans Lucas / Redux)

By The Week US

published 2 weeks ago

President Trump wants Americans to have more babies—and he's willing to pay them to reproduce, said Michelle Goldberg in The New York Times. With Vice President JD Vance and other social conservatives leading the pro-natalist charge, the administration is considering several policies designed to raise the fertility rate, including giving women a $5,000 bonus for every birth, providing financial aid for IVF treatments, and reserving 30 percent of Fulbright scholarships for married people or parents. Trump last week said the baby bonus "sounds like a good idea." Declining fertility is a real problem globally, creating elderly societies without enough workers to sustain the social safety net. The U.S.'s fertility rate fell in 2023 to a historic low of 1.62 births per woman. But the right-wing "natalist milieu is rife with misogyny, white supremacy, and eugenics," and promotes traditional gender roles, with stay-at-home moms getting stuck with "all the domestic drudgery." For that reason, Trump's paternalistic pro-natalism "is doomed to fail."

This is a rare Trump idea that's not "deranged, illegal, or immoral," said Mona Charen in The Bulwark. But the same administration that insists on the need for more future workers treats immigration "as a mortal threat." When Trump encourages parenthood but demonizes immigrants, it's clear he wants "more white babies." To truly incentivize having children, said Bethany Mandel in the New York Post, we need "durable policy change" and a pro-family cultural shift. As a conservative mother of six, I know too well that $5,000 feels like a "pat on the head as families struggle to stay afloat amid rising costs." But several House Republicans have proposed easing the burden by boosting the Child Tax Credit from $2,000 to $4,200 per year for kids under 6 and $3,000 for older children. Kids aren't a "one-time cost, but a long-term commitment."

Why, then, are Republicans also pushing "anti-baby policies"? asked Mary Ellen Klas in Bloomberg. They're considering major Medicaid cuts that will hurt women, while DOGE has slashed funding for maternal and postpartum care. In the end, however, parenthood isn't just a financial decision. "It's also a profound act of hope"—and Americans aren't "feeling especially hopeful." They're worried about Trump's economic and political chaos and where a bitterly divided country is headed. Given all that, "asking young people to forget all their troubles and bring children into the world" is "not just ironic—it's irresponsible."