Every May, politicians flood our feeds with Mother’s Day tributes. They post saccharine tweets, talk about the importance of family, and pose with their moms. For too many women in America, Mother’s Day is a reminder not of how valued we are — but of how little this country actually supports mothers.
Now, Donald Trump says he wants more American babies. But instead of investing in real policies that make parenting possible, he’s proposed offering a $5,000 “baby bonus” for married women, lecturing us on natural family planning and menstrual cycles, and floating the idea of medals for motherhood.
Let’s call it what it is: offensive, authoritarian nonsense that’s misogynistic and economically illiterate.
Let’s do some math. A $5,000 bonus doesn’t even cover three months of infant care in most states. In Connecticut, full-time infant care averages $355 a week — almost $19,000 a year. That’s more than in-state college tuition. Diapers, formula, gear? Add thousands more. In fact, infant care costs more than a mortgage in most states.
And yet, Trump gutted what little support families had left. Just recently, his administration quietly eliminated a CDC division that monitored IVF and tracked maternal and infant health outcomes.
As a mom who ran for Congress with two toddlers in tow, this isn’t new to me. I’ve seen the playbook before:
Page 1: Talk about “valuing families.”
Page 2: Toss a shiny distraction.
Page 3: Dismantle the very programs that keep us afloat.
Trump is selling a fantasy — a sugar-coated bribe wrapped in patriarchal ideology — a policy rooted in nostalgia and chauvinist politics.
We’re not clapping for that.
This isn’t just about money — it’s about the absence of infrastructure. Countries from Hungary to Russia to Taiwan have tried baby bonuses. Fertility rates didn’t bounce back. People aren’t skipping parenthood for lack of a check, they’re opting out because the systems are broken.
And the other ideas being floated? Let’s not pretend they’re anything but insulting. Teaching women “natural family planning” to avoid pregnancy — instead of ensuring access to birth control and abortion care — is just another way to control women’s bodies. It’s the rhythm method in new packaging, effective 77-98 percent of the time.
Then there’s the suggestion that women would have more babies if they got a medal. I wish I were joking. This idea has historical roots — and not the kind you want.
The Mother’s Cross was a Nazi award for German women who gave birth to eight or more children. The gold version was for “exemplary” Aryan mothers. If it sounds like white nationalist replacement theory — that’s because it is.
This isn’t about supporting parents — it’s about promoting a narrow, regressive vision of motherhood: married, conservative, white and financially dependent.
It leaves out the single mamas juggling shift work without childcare. The Black mamas facing systemic barriers to reproductive care. The queer parents caught in discriminatory adoption laws. Are they eligible for the bonus?
If Trump actually cared about a baby boom, here’s what would help:
- Affordable childcare that doesn’t cost more than rent
- Paid family leave so parents can recover and bond
- Reproductive freedom, including IVF, abortion, and birth control
- Affordable housing that keeps families off the streets
- Higher education that doesn’t bury families in debt
- A livable planet. Yes, the climate crisis affects family planning
- Equal pay, especially for mothers
These are the parental rights moms should really be fighting for
These aren’t radical ideas. They’re backed by data. Supported by families. Popular with voters. But instead of investing in what works, Trump is cosplaying 1950s morality — minus the unions, pensions and public investment.
Let’s be clear: cruelty is the point. This “baby bonus” isn’t a policy — it’s a dog whistle. It echoes the worst chapters of history, sanitized for a modern audience. It’s population control, not family support.
So no, this Mother’s Day, we don’t need fake baby bonus or medals. We need rights, resources and respect. We need policies that treat mothers, parents, and children with dignity — not as props in a political stunt.
If Trump wants more babies, he can start by funding the programs that actually make parenting possible.
Until then? Keep the bonus.
Liuba Grechen Shirley
Liuba Grechen Shirley is the founder and CEO of Vote Mama, a national organization dedicated to electing mothers, identifying barriers to political participation, and advancing family-friendly policies. In her 2018 historic run for Congress in New York’s 2nd Congressional District, she became the first woman in history to receive FEC approval to use campaign funding for childcare expenses.