President Trump appears open to suggestions on how to improve the declining U.S. birth rate. Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday that the option of a $5,000 “baby bonus” sounded like a good idea.
The question arose in response to a report from The New York Times on Monday, which stated that the administration was seeking ways to boost America’s birth rates, which have been in decline since 2007. In 2023, the birth rate decreased to 3.6 million, representing a 2 percent decline from 2022.
According to the report by The New York Times, the administration has been actively meeting with policy advocates to consider options for incentivizing the creation of larger families and higher birth rates.
The so-called “baby bonus” was one such option. Another idea under consideration was reserving 30 percent of Fulbright scholarships for individuals who are married or have children.
The administration’s pro-family stance aligns with the message it conveyed on the campaign trail. During the 2024 campaign, Vice President J.D. Vance received backlash for his 2021 statements referring to women without biological children as “childless cat ladies.” Vance responded to the backlash on the “Megyn Kelly Show” by saying he was not critical of people for not having children. He was critical of Democrats for crafting anti-family policies.
“I explicitly said in my remarks, despite the fact that the media has lied about this, that this is not about criticizing people who, for various reasons, didn’t have kids,” Vance said. “This is about criticizing the Democratic Party for becoming anti-family and anti-child.”
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the administration’s commitment to pro-family policies. In a statement to The Times, Leavitt said President Trump is “proudly implementing policies to uplift American families.”