Former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene expressed her opposition to the Trump administration’s proposed child care subsidy for married couples with one stay-at-home parent, arguing that it would not significantly offset family costs.
In a post on Wednesday, Greene argued that the proposed $9,000 subsidy would not offset the cost of health insurance for a family of four.
“We don’t need another welfare program giving $9,000 to stay-at-home parents, even though I’m a big supporter of stay-at-home parents. But $9,000 is hardly a drop in the bucket and wouldn’t even offset the cost of health insurance for a family of four,” she wrote.
Greene further argued that the focus should be on ending wars, reducing spending, and strengthening the dollar, rather than weakening it.
“We need the wars to end that are driving the cost of gas and diesel and inflation and killing innocent people and children,” she wrote.
Democratic Senator Slams Child Care Funding Shift
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) criticized the Trump administration’s reported plan to redirect Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) money toward a new subsidy encouraging parents to stay home with their children.
Murray argued the move would divert funds from already underfunded child-care assistance programs, leaving working families and single parents waiting for support. She also called the proposal discriminatory and urged Congress to increase child-care funding instead of prioritizing what she described as culture-war policies and higher defense spending.
“It’s not the 1950s in America—our government shouldn’t punish people for being single parents or choosing not to marry,” Murray stated.
Child-Care Subsidy Plan Draws Fire
Greene and Murray’s criticism came on the heels of a report that the Trump administration is considering a proposal to extend child-care subsidies to married stay-at-home parents who meet income requirements. Under the plan, one spouse must work at least 35 hours a week, while the other stays home with the children. Unmarried couples would be excluded.
The White House confirmed it developed the proposal, rather than Vice President JD Vance’s office, as initially reported. Funding would come from the CCDF, which typically provides about $9,000 per child annually to help low-income families pay for child care.
The Associated Press reported in June that more than 400,000 eligible children across 23 states and Washington, D.C., were on waiting lists for subsidized child care. HHS estimated that 11.8 million children were federally eligible for assistance in 2022, but only 1.8 million, or about 16%, received child-care subsidies.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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