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WASHINGTON — President Trump endorsed giving new mothers a financial reward Tuesday after a report surfaced that the White House was considering handing out up to $5,000 per delivery to reverse the decline in US birth rates.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Trump told The Post in the Oval Office when asked about the reported cash incentive to get more Americans to have kids.

The adminstration’s deliberations over the so-called “baby bonus” were first reported Monday by the New York Times.

Policy experts and advocates for growing the birth rate have been meeting with White House aides to come up with plans to convince more women to have larger families, four people who have been part of the meetings told the outlet.


  The Trump administration is mulling a “baby bonus” for parents in an effort to curb plunging birth rates. REUTERS The Trump administration is mulling a “baby bonus” for parents in an effort to curb plunging birth rates. REUTERS

One plan would give a $5,000 incentive to new moms, while another would see that 30% of all Fulbright scholarships be given to applicants who are married or have children.

Another option being considered would have the government fund programs to educate women on their menstrual cycles so they can know when they are ovulating and able to conceive, according to the report.

Birth rates in the US have long been slipping, hitting a new low in 2023 with just under 3.6 million babies born that year — making the typical American family with 2.5 children a thing of the past. In 2023, American families had just under two children on average. 

The total number of babies born was also about 76,000 less than 2022 and the lowest one-year tally since 1979. 

While the pandemic brought a slight uptick in 2021 to 2022, the trend seems to be headed downward once again. 

Additionally, the ages of women giving birth have started to shift as of late, with the birth rate among teens and younger women dropping while more and more women in their 30s and 40s are having babies. 


  One plan would offer $5,000 to new moms after they give birth. Alena – stock.adobe.com One plan would offer $5,000 to new moms after they give birth. Alena – stock.adobe.com

White House officials have not yet indicated what plans, if any, they are looking to push forward.

The sources noted that fertility issues will likely become a prominent piece of the agenda in order to achieve the “baby boom” that Trump and his pronatalist allies, Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance, are seeking.  

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to the Times that Trump “is proudly implementing policies to uplift American families.” 

“The President wants America to be a country where all children can safely grow up and achieve the American dream,” she said.

“As a mother myself, I am proud to work for a president who is taking significant action to leave a better country for the next generation.” 

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