A Michigan state lawmaker is taking aim at a taxpayer-funded cash assistance program for pregnant mothers, calling it "bad policy" and demanding changes to how millions of dollars are distributed."The reason I don't think it's good policy is because we are asking taxpayers to put money on the table with no guardrails, with no independent analysis of whether it is actually accomplishing anything," House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep.Jay DeBoyer, R-Clay Township, told Fox News Digital.The pushback intensified last week when Michigan House Republicans demanded a rigorous inspection of the initiative, aggressively questioning its long-term benefits and sounding the alarm over how state funds are being allocated.
While the program previously enjoyed bipartisan support across three state budgets — earning praise from Democratic Gov.Gretchen Whitmer and some GOP lawmakers — a growing faction of Republicans are now levying sharp criticism.Michigan House Republican Leader Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, has also slammed the initiative, previously labeling it "a scam."ALBUQUERQUE USES WEED TAX TO FUND 'NO-STRINGS-ATTACHED' GUARANTEED INCOME, SPARKING POLICY DEBATEA Michigan state lawmaker thinks giving cash to newly pregnant mothers is bad policy and wants to shut it down as it stands today.
(Ozan Kose/AFP via Getty Images)The initiative is designed to issue a "no-strings-attached" $1,500 cash payment to expectant mothers, followed by $500 per month during the child's first year."The problem that I think exists, the thing that red flags me the most, is that you can spend it on anything," DeBoyer said."That's just a social welfare program.
You're just saying, 'Here's money to make your economic condition better,' right? So the question is, should we do that in perpetuity?"The scrutiny boiled over during a June 2 House Oversight Committee hearing, where GOP lawmakers targeted "Rx Kids"—an initiative billed as the nation's largest citywide cash aid program for prenat...