(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump backed what a published report said was a $5,000 “baby bonus” for women who give birth to help reverse a decline in U.S. birth rates.
Asked Tuesday in the Oval Office about the possibility of providing a financial reward to women, Trump responded, “Sounds like a good idea to me.”
The $5,000 “baby bonus” was first reported this week by The New York Times, which stated that the White House has explored various ideas to encourage Americans to marry and have more children.
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In addition to the bonus, other ideas included reserving 30% of Fulbright scholarships for applicants who are married and have children. Also floated was an idea that the government fund programs that educate women about their menstrual cycles, the report said.
The newspaper also reported that one idea presented to the White House was a “National Medal of Motherhood” that would reward women with six or more children.
U.S. birth rates hit a low in 2023, when just under 3.6 million babies were born. That year’s total was about 76,000 less than the year before and was the lowest one-year total since 1979, The New York Post reported.
Art Caplan, a professor of medical ethics at the New York University School of Medicine, told NewsNation’s “CUOMO” he is against a financial reward being paid to women for giving birth.
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“If you’re really interested in babies, there are plenty of immigrants here whose kids are being deported,” Caplan said. “If you’re interested in babies, there are plenty of people who would come here and become citizens and bring their babies.”
Caplan argues, however, that what the Trump administration wants is the “right kind of babies.” He called the notion “morally offensive.”
Rina Shah, a conservative strategist and commentator, disagreed. Shah told “CUOMO” that the Trump administration is attempting to be proactive in acknowledging some financial realities facing the country.
“They see a declining birth rate, and they’re thinking to themselves, ‘How do we make America great again? We have more children to show how great America could be,” she said.
However, Shah said a one-time financial incentive may not be enough to sway families given the costs of child care, housing and education, all of which outweigh the incentive of a $5,000 bonus.
