Pro-family policies could, however, err too far in the other direction. Explicit measures to encourage having children, additional assistance to large families or a tax credit for newly married couples all received some of the lowest approval marks, and across both parties. Over 60 percent of parents agreed with the sentiment that “people shouldn’t have kids if they can’t afford to raise them without government assistance,” highlighting why any successful agenda should be grounded in American values of self-reliance.
This impulse helps explain attitudes toward the child tax credit. Many parents, Democrats and Republicans alike, wanted to see a work requirement attached to the credit. But a hypothetical child benefit that fully benefited families so long as someone in the family was working would be supported by nearly 80 percent of Republican and Democratic parents.
A conservative approach to child benefits or paid leave may attract some bipartisan support. They can be done in fiscally prudent ways — the Family Security Act, introduced last year by Senator Romney and his Republican colleagues Steve Daines of Montana and Richard Burr of North Carolina, was written to be budget-neutral, and a modest paid family leave program with universal eligibility could be had for under $20 billion annually.
At the state level, Republican governors are already fleshing out what a fully pro-family governing agenda could look like. In Montana, Gov. Greg Gianforte has proposed a $1,200 tax credit for young children, prioritized housing affordability by making it easier to build in the state and created an education credit for workers in the skilled trades. Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee recently expanded Medicaid coverage for pregnant women, including a proposal to cover two years’ worth of diapers.
Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma has proposed eliminating the state’s tax on groceries and expanding fatherhood programs. Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah recently signed a bill joining Arizona and Iowa in giving all parents assistance in finding the school that is right for their children and has announced a willingness to explore new ways of keeping kids safe online. And Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has sought to eliminate sales tax on necessities like cribs and strollers and to promote engaged fatherhood.
But this shift must ultimately be solidified in Washington, and for now, the Biden administration’s failure to push through its grand visions for progressive family policy has left room for others to act. A Democratic Party with enough political flexibility could redraft its policies along some of these lines for broader appeal — though its cultural preferences may make that play more challenging. In embracing a meaningful pro-parent agenda, Republicans also have a prime opportunity to go on offense.
The party should embrace an agenda that empowers parents to protect their kids online, buffets families against the pressures of the modern economy and eliminates barriers to starting a family. That approach would help the movement traditionally known as the party of family values become the party of authentically valuing families.
Patrick T. Brown (@PTBwrites) is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a conservative think tank, and a former senior policy adviser to Congress’s Joint Economic Committee.