EXCLUSIVE: Michigan House speaker calls for answers over $300M taxpayer-funded Rx Kids program
The Republican leader of Michigan’s House says a state-funded maternal health initiative has become something far different than lawmakers were promised, accusing Democrats of using more than $300 million in taxpayer funding to advance a broader guaranteed-income agenda.Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Digital as House Republicans continue scrutinizing Rx Kids, a taxpayer-funded program that provides unrestricted cash payments to pregnant women and new mothers.Hall argued lawmakers believed they were funding a maternal and prenatal health initiative, not what he described as a broader experiment in guaranteed income.GUARANTEED INCOME PROGRAM TARGETS LOW-INCOME HOMES LED BY BLACK MOMS AS CASH HANDOUTS SURGE NATIONWIDEMichigan House Speaker Matt Hall discusses his concerns about Michigan's Rx Kids program.(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)"I think the Democrats kind of slipped this in here under the idea that it was for prenatal care," Hall told Fox News Digital.
"Lawmakers did not have the complete picture."Rx Kids launched in Flint in 2024 and provides expectant mothers with a $1,500 lump-sum payment during pregnancy, followed by $500 monthly payments after the child is born.According to materials provided to Fox News Digital by Hall’s office, the program has expanded to communities across Michigan with more than $300 million in taxpayer funding.Rx Kids has promoted the initiative as a maternal and infant health program designed to reduce financial stress for new families.According to podcast interviews and program materials, its leaders have also discussed expanding the model to communities across Michigan and beyond.EXCLUSIVE: VIDEO SHOWS MICHIGAN LAWMAKER TOURING DAYCARE IN $1.1M TAXPAYER FUNDING PROBEHall argued the program lacks the eligibility requirements found in traditional public assistance programs."We have a lot of social safety net programs in our country that are working very well," Hall said.
"...