Vice President JD Vance is pushing a plan to expand the eligibility of federal child care funds to married couples with one stay-at-home spouse, so that spouse can be paid to raise their children. Based on current allocations, approximately $9,000 in subsidies could be provided per child per year.
[NOTE: The New York Times reported “About 80 percent of the 870,000 families who currently get the child care subsidies have single working parents, most of them mothers, according to Health Department data.”]
Bo French, the “America First” Republican nominee for Texas Railroad Commissioner, criticized the idea. He replied on social media: “Prioritizing the family unit is a noble goal. However Americans are already footing the bill for $1.2 trillion in welfare per year, which as we know is mostly fraud. Why would we want to spend even more? How about eliminate all the other programs and fraud first?”
[NOTE: French’s characterization of subsidy programs as “mostly fraud” is not supported by evidence.]
Prioritizing the family unit is a noble goal. However Americans are already footing the bill for $1.2 trillion in welfare per year, which as we know is mostly fraud. Why would we want to spend even more? How about eliminate all the other programs and fraud first? https://t.co/q8HmiU2HMO
— Bo French (@bofrench) September 7, 2026
Conservative political pundit Meghan McCain replied, “I am old enough to remember a time when Republicans were against government entitlement programs.” (Fox News star Tomi Lahren replied “Same.”)
The Daily Wire writer Megan Basham, author of the 2009 book Beside Every Successful Man: Getting the Life You Want By Helping Your Husband Get Ahead, replied to McCain, daughter of the late Senator John McCain (R-AZ): “Well it wasn’t 30 years ago when Republicans, including your dad, overwhelmingly voted to start this program.”
Well it wasn’t 30 years ago when Republicans, including your dad, overwhelmingly voted to start this program. pic.twitter.com/dChK1PZG9e
— Megan Basham (@megbasham) September 7, 2026
[NOTE: In 1990, Congress passed the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG Act) as part of the 1990 Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act to help low-income working-class families afford child care so they could work and/or go to school.]
Former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Barb McQuade, a Democrat, also responded: “Paying parents who care for their children may be a good idea (though not just parents who are married), but it is our representatives in Congress and not the President who has the power of the purse.”
[NOTE: Administration figures disagree with McQuade’s contention, indicating they believe the expansion can be achieved through executive branch action.]