Donald Trump and JD Vance have pushed the notion of having as many kids as possible, but their own plan would make that more difficult for citizens, according to a conservative writer.
Former Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin wrote an essay called, "MAGA’s Ugly Budget at Odds with Its Creepy Pronatalism," in which she argues that the administration is undercutting its own "creepy" reproduction goals.
According to Rubin, Americans are more concerned with the cost of having kids than with making sure to have as many as they can. That issue of worry, she says, is exacerbated by the new GOP spending bill.
"The ugly reconciliation legislation only makes matters worse for families and couples contemplating having children," she wrote. "Cuts in food stamps, Medicaid, energy subsidies, and the Department of Education will all hit families with children."
She notes that, “With about 37 million children enrolled in either Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), new paperwork and work requirements for parents with children over the age of 14 will strip many of healthcare and promote a new generation of latchkey kids."
Rubin continues:
"The largest cut in SNAP history is projected to eliminate millions of kids from food support, including free lunch programs. New rules for the Earned Income Tax Credit will also hit poorer families with a requirement that 'they go through an onerous precertification process for their children before being able to claim the credit.' While the Child Tax Credit will increase to $2500, 'households have to earn a certain amount of income to be eligible for the full credit.' Making it harder to receive benefits is a feature, not a bug, of this and other programs that are supposed to help children."
The political analyst added, "For families who can barely afford coverage through the Affordable Care Act exchanges, Republicans’ legislation is a disaster."
"A slew of new documentation and shorter enrollment periods will trip up many who would otherwise qualify for the subsidies," she then wrote.