Sponsors
The bill redirects support toward direct monthly cash benefits for pregnant people and caregivers of young children—targeting lower-income households and improving program transparency—while funding that shift requires repealing the Child Tax Credit, increasing federal spending and administrative transitions, producing trade-offs between immediate family cash support and broader tax/deficit and access concerns.
Caregivers of children under 6 receive ongoing monthly cash payments ($400/month), directly lowering out-of-pocket child-rearing costs for millions of families.
Low-income pregnant people receive direct monthly cash support ($800/month during pregnancy) to help cover prenatal needs and related expenses.
Payments begin promptly (month of application at 20+ weeks or after birth) with protections to avoid interruptions during the 90-day postpartum window, reducing gaps in benefit access for new parents.
Low- and middle-income families with children lose the Child Tax Credit, reducing after-tax income for many households with children.
The new benefit program increases federal spending and could raise the deficit or require offsetting cuts or revenue increases, which may affect taxpayers and fiscal priorities.
Eligibility and verification requirements (SSNs/TINs, income, residency, prenatal provider) create administrative barriers that could exclude immigrants, unstably housed people, and some low-income applicants.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Establishes monthly payments for pregnant women and caregivers of eligible children and repeals the federal child tax credit with conforming tax-code changes.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by Jared Golden · Last progress February 13, 2025
Creates a new federal monthly payment program that gives cash supplements to qualified pregnant women and to qualified caregivers of eligible children. Payments are administered by the Social Security Commissioner, are sized by pregnancy or child age ($800 per pregnancy; $400 per child under 6; $250 per child 6+), and are increased by 20% for married beneficiaries. The bill sets application and eligibility rules (including pregnancy at 20+ weeks to start payments) and includes income phase-outs and fraud exclusions. Makes a major tax-code change by repealing the federal child tax credit and making multiple conforming amendments across the Internal Revenue Code; those tax-law changes take effect for taxable years beginning after the year that contains the program's first payment month, with a pro rata transition rule for partial-year tax years.