The Trump administration has drafted a proposal that could allow married stay-at-home parents to receive subsidies from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), redirecting money from a program designed to help low-income families pay for child care while parents work or study. Under the draft, couples would need to be married, one spouse would have to work at least 35 hours a week, and the other would remain at home with the children while meeting income requirements. Unmarried couples with a stay-at-home parent would be excluded. The fund typically provides about $9,000 per child annually. NewsNation reported on Monday, citing a White House official, that the proposal originated in the White House rather than Vice President JD Vance’s office, correcting earlier reports. The New York Times first reported the plan over the weekend. The proposal comes as subsidized child care faces a significant shortfall: more than 400,000 eligible children across 23 states and Washington, D.C., were waiting for care, while Health and Human Services estimated that 11.8 million children were federally eligible in 2022 and only 1.8 million, or 16%, received subsidies. Critics warn that redirecting existing funds without additional funding could put further pressure on working families. Supporters say the current system favors households that purchase commercial care over parents who provide care at home. The idea forms part of the administration’s broader marriage-focused family agenda, which includes $1,000 Trump Accounts for eligible newborns, an expanded Child Tax Credit and Republican efforts to remove what they call a marriage penalty in the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit.