Trump proposal would pay married stay-at-home parents
The Trump administration is currently drafting a new policy that would allow married couples with a stay-at-home parent to collect federal child care subsidies. The plan, championed by Vice President JD Vance, would utilize a Health and Human <a s child care crisis by redirecting funds away from the working parents and providers who currently rely on the program. Child and family policy expert Elliott Haspel joins LiveNOW's Andy Mac to discuss the proposal.
The Trump administration has drafted a according to a New York Times report.
Redirecting HHS funds
The plan aims to create a federal subsidy that would pay parents to stay home and raise their children
FILE – A logo is displayed on the door to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) headquarters at the Hubert H. Humphrey Building on August 12, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Carter/
Officials are looking to use the Health and Human Services Department’s Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), which was originally created in the 1990s to help low-income and working-class parents afford child care.
The new plan would reportedly provide about $9,000 per child each year.
Who could qualify?
- Parents must be married
- One spouse is working at least 35 hours per week
- One spouse is staying home with the kids
- Meet income requirements, which can vary by state
Unmarried couples where one parent stays home wouldn’t qualify
Single parents who do not work also do not qualify.
Who is receiving CCDF help now?
There are roughly 994,000 families that received help from CCDF, according to 2023 HHS data.
Of the families who received funds, 35% were living below the Federal Poverty Level.
Families who were receiving funds typically got them through vouchers which could be used toward family child care programs, center-based programs, after-school programs or care through a relative or neighbor.
FOX has reached out to the White House for confirmation and comment.
The New York Times, News Nation, and the Health and Human Services Child Care and Development Fund website. This story was reported from San Jose
