$5,000 to Give Birth? What We Know About Trump's 'Baby Bonus'

As birth rates in the U.S. continue to decline, the government is floating the idea of a "baby bonus" to incentivize women to get pregnant.

On Tuesday (April 22), President Donald Trump championed the proposed plan, saying, "Sounds like a good idea to me."

According to The New York Times, the $5,000 "baby bonus" is one of the more controversial options Trump's White House has explored in a bid to reverse the declining birth rates.

Other potential ideas include government-funded programs aimed at educating women about their menstrual cycle, as well as a "National Medal of Motherhood" as a reward for women who have six or more children.

The Trump administration is reportedly eager to push for more women to have children as Republicans continue to promote conservative family values.

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the outlet that Trump "is proudly implementing policies to uplift American families."

In January, Vice President JD Vance said he wanted "more babies" to be born in the U.S.

According to The New York Post, U.S. birth rates hit a low in 2023, when just under 3.6 million babies were born—roughly 76,000 fewer than the year before and the lowest one-year total since 1979.

The age at which women have been giving birth has also shifted, with more women in their 30s and 40s having babies than ever before.

Meanwhile, teen pregnancies have been on a steady decline in the U.S.

With rising inflation and the cost of living high, economic hardship has become one of the biggest challenges impacting people’s decisions regarding whether or not to start a family, with some women waiting until they're older and more financially stable before having a child.

Other factors impacting women’s decisions regarding motherhood include infertility and high fertility care costs, evolving cultural beliefs and shifts surrounding women’s roles in society and lack of supportive systems available to women, including a general lack of affordable childcare, paid parental leave and more in the U.S.