White House Plan Would Pay Stay-At-Home Parents

Parents who stay home with their kids could soon tap a pot of federal child care money that has long gone only to working families. The Trump administration is drafting a rule that would let married couples in certain income brackets collect subsidies—about $9,000 per child per year—if one parent is not employed outside the home, reports the New York Times. The newspaper sees it as "one of the most significant efforts to date by the Trump administration to harness federal funds to promote a traditional view of families." Unmarried couples would not qualify.

The money would come from the $12 billion Child Care and Development Fund, created to help low- and moderate-income parents work or attend school. Critics warn the shift could drain support from single and working parents, most of them mothers, and destabilize child care providers that depend on the funds. The proposal, driven by Vice President JD Vance and aligned with Project 2025, could take effect next year without congressional approval. Typically, families must earn below 85% of their state's median income to qualify for the current funds, though some states set the bar at 60%. Read the full Times scoop.