Leaked Trump plan sparks GOP showdown over how far Republicans should go to support families
The Trump administration is reportedly floating a plan to let some married families with a stay-at-home parent tap federal child-care dollars — a proposal that has triggered a growing fight among conservatives over how far Washington should go to support family life.The reported proposal would expand eligibility for Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) assistance to some married families in which one spouse works at least 35 hours a week and the other stays home, with the benefit averaging about $9,000 per child annually, according to reports.The New York Times reported Sept.5 that the administration was considering the proposal in the context of Vice President JD Vance’s longstanding advocacy for extending child-care assistance to stay-at-home parents, although a White House official told Fox News Digital that Vance has not pushed this specific proposal.AMERICA’S CHILD CARE CRISIS NEEDS MORE PARENTAL FREEDOM — NOT MORE WASHINGTON CONTROLUS Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance arrive for President Donald Trump to sign an executive order on foster children and families in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, November 13, 2025.
(Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)"Until the Administration officially unveils a policy push, any leaked reporting about potential policy ideas that have been neither fully baked nor released should be regarded as pointless speculation," said the official.The Child Care and Development Block Grant was enacted in 1990 under President George H.W.
Bush, and the 1996 welfare overhaul under President Bill Clinton amended the program and integrated it with mandatory child-care funding streams that are now commonly known as the Child Care and Development Fund.In a White House press released posted close to Mother's Day, Trump touted how his administration is working to "better empower stay-at-home parents." In May, HHS issued new CCDF guidance clarifying states’ flexibility in how parents can choose among feder...