President Donald Trump's administration is considering policies aimed at reversing declining birthrates and pushing traditional family values, The New York Times reported Monday.
The Times reported that White House aides have been meeting with policy experts and advocates of boosting the birthrate.
Proposals being considered include:
- Saving 30% of scholarships for the Fulbright program, a government-backed international fellowship for married individuals or people who have children.
- A $5,000 cash "baby bonus" to every American mother after delivery.
- Federal funding of programs that educate women on their menstrual cycles.
The report said no decisions have been made on what policies might be ultimately embraced.
"I just think this administration is inherently pronatalist," activist Simone Collins said, the Times reported.
She and her husband Malcolm sent the White House several draft executive orders, including one that would bestow a "National Medal of Motherhood" to mothers with six or more children.
"Look at the number of kids that major leaders in the administration have," Simone Collins said. "You didn't hear about kids in the same way under Biden."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump "is proudly implementing policies to uplift American families."
"The president wants America to be a country where all children can safely grow up and achieve the American dream. As a mother myself, I am proud to work for a president who is taking significant action to leave a better country for the next generation," Leavitt said, the Times reported.
U.S. birth rates have been trending downward for decades. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the number of births declined 2% between 2022 and 2023, with the general fertility rate dropping 3% to 54.5 births per 1,000 women aged 15-44.
Preliminary data showed a slight increase last year. The Associated Press found that the overall birth rate rose only for Hispanic women, Newsweek reported.
During the March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., a few days after Trump's inauguration, Vice President JD Vance said he wants to see "more babies" and "more happy children" in the United States.
"We have failed a generation not only by permitting a culture of abortion on demand but also by neglecting to help young parents achieve the ingredients they need to lead a happy and meaningful life," Vance told the crowd.
Project 2025, which the president diasavowed at one time, discussed family issues before anything else. The headline over Promise No. 1 was: "RESTORE THE FAMILY AS THE CENTERPIECE OF AMERICAN LIFE AND PROTECT OUR CHILDREN."
In February, Trump signed an executive order to expand access to in vitro fertilization.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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