Trump administration considers childcare subsidies for married couples with stay-at-home spouse

The Trump administration is considering a new policy that would provide government childcare subsidies to married couples with a stay-at-home spouse, according to a new report.

Under the draft plan, married couples in certain income brackets could qualify for payments if one spouse works at least 35 hours a week while the other remains home to care for the child, The New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Unmarried couples and single parents who do not work would not be eligible.

The funding would come from the $12 billion Child Care and Development Fund, an Department of Health and Human Services program established in the 1990s to help low- and middle-income parents. The fund typically provides about $9,000 per child annually and currently serves roughly 1.3 million children, the vast majority in households headed by single working parents, who are typically mothers.

The proposal fits into a broader White House effort to promote traditional families and raise the birth rate, an effort spearheaded by Vice President JD Vance, who has pushed for more mothers to remain home with their children.

The vice president once wrote on X that “normal” Americans desire a “family policy that doesn’t shunt their kids into crap day care so they can enjoy more ‘freedom’ in the paid labor force.”

In a 2021 essay, he wrote: “Young children are clearly happier and healthier when they spend the day at home with a parent.”

The plan has drawn criticism from experts who warn that single working parents could be worse off under the changes.

“I am a big proponent of more support for stay-at-home parents. But this is not how I would choose to do it,” Joshua McCabe, the director of social policy at the Niskanen Center, a think tank, told the Times.

“Expanding the eligibility without increasing funding would mean more parents competing for the same dollars, and leaving more parents — particularly single working parents — worse off,” he added.

Some Trump administration attorneys have also discussed whether or not it would be legal to mandate that recipients of the childcare subsidies be married, the outlet reported.

The proposed change does not require congressional approval. If the White House signs off, it would be published online for a public comment period and, if finalized, could potentially be implemented as early as 2027.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.