US: Vance’s proposal – $9,000 a year for parents who stay at home to look after their children
The measure would apply exclusively to married couples within certain income brackets. One of the parents must be in full-time employment
Whilst almost anything goes in election campaigning, the Republican Party is, as might be expected, focusing on the traditional family. With the mid-term elections fast approaching, the Trump administration is drawing up a proposal to pay parents who choose to stay at home to bring up their children. The plan, strongly backed by J. D. Vance, involves redirecting federal funds currently earmarked for childcare support for working parents, marking a shift in US welfare policy.
Details
The United States is one of the few countries in the world that does not provide for any parental leave. The new social welfare programme – as reported by the New York Times – is aimed specifically at middle-class families. The measure would apply exclusively to married couples falling within certain income brackets. To qualify, one parent must be in full-time employment whilst the other stays at home to look after the children. Single parents and unmarried couples would be excluded from this benefit.
The source of the funds
To fund this initiative, officials intend to draw on the Child Care and Development Fund, a $12 billion fund established in the 1990s during the Clinton administration. This fund was set up with the aim of helping middle-class families pay for childcare so that parents could work or study. It currently funds childcare for children up to the age of 13 and covers the costs of care for around 1.3 million children. Furthermore, around 80 per cent of the 870,000 families receiving these grants are single working parents, mainly mothers.
Under the proposed changes, the new reform would result in a significant cut in the funding currently allocated to working parents, particularly single parents. Another concern relates to childcare centres and nurseries: they could see a fall in enrolment, forcing them to raise their fees or close down.
This programme, which promotes the traditional family and the value of marriage, is in line with the conservative ‘Project 2025’ and with the beliefs of J. D. Vance, who has repeatedly argued that children are healthier and happier at home and has criticised the use of nurseries.
