£3,760 for a Newborn: Trump's Bid to Boost Birth Rates Slammed as 'Shallow Gimmick'

As a strategy to oppose pro-abortion groups in US, the Trump administration is mulling a £3760 ($5000) 'baby bonus' to check the surging dip in birth rates in the country.

This is similar to the policy implemented in the Oryol region in Russia which pays £950 ($1,200) to Russian girls who decide to have children between 2025 to 2027.

President Donald Trump and his team have reviewed this strategy as a way to encourage young Americans to have more children in the future. According to a memo sent by the Department of Transportation, the project will 'give preference to communities with marriage and birth rates higher than the national average.'

What is Trump's Plan for the 'Baby Bonus'

In an interview with The Guardian, 24-year-old Savannah Downing said she would love to be a mother but that is almost impossible for her with her current salary. 'Maybe people will want to have children more often if we weren't struggling to find jobs, struggling to pay our student loans, struggling to pay for food,' Downing added.

'Five thousand dollars doesn't even begin to even cover childcare for one month. It just seems really ridiculous.' The statement made by Downing was corroborated with the help of the US Department of Agriculture. In a report published in 2017, it is said that the average expenditure for a child in the US comes to £9775 ($13,000), which has heavily grown due to inflation and more expenses on the families.

'It costs 200, 300 bucks just to buy a car seat for these kids. I just feel like it's really just insulting. If you want people to have more kids, make housing more affordable. Make food more affordable,' said a mother on TikTok. The policy has received heavy backlash from people claiming that the bonus is not enough to cover for a children and that the government will not be involved in raising the children born from the encouragement.

Jessica Calarco, a sociologist writing for MSNBC, in her book mentions several mothers in different socio-economic situations and says during pandemic the US made Covid Economic Impact Payments worth £1278 ($1700) to help them. A mother in the book stated that 'I was just so happy, I paid my car insurance, and I had got my son a lot of clothes because he's growing, and he needs some more shoes. I put some in my savings account.'

She had quit her job when she moved to another state during the pandemic and because of the layoff was unable to get another job, so even the £1278 ($1700) had turned around her poor economic situation. The proposed incentive of £3760 ($5000) could be perfect to combat the falling American birth rates in given situation.

What Happened to the Birth Rates in America?

In the last 80 years, American birth rates have heavily declined and the parents' age has considerably increased, something that is seen as a positive due to the overpopulation suffered around the world.

However, due to the pro-choice and pro-consumer stance from the American government, the 'baby bonus' is seen as the best way to fight the trend.

After World War II, the American birth rate was at 3.5 children per-family, until the 1960 this was known as the 'baby boom' era, but due to a change in the American social norms, introduction of birth control and the state of the American youth, birth rates declined heavily to just 1.8 between 1970 and 1980.

This number rose a little in the 1990s, but declined again to 1.6 children per-family after the great recession in 2008 that caused economic hardship for many American families and young couples who didn't see having children as a viable option.

Along with that, the average parents age in America has grown heavily in the last 50 years. According to stat page Axios, the age of the average parent in America in the 1970 was around 21.4 years, now reaching almost 27.5 in 2023, a 6-years increase showing that more economical disadvantages have arose during this time period.