It was probably inevitable that the Right’s economic populism would degenerate into promises of more government checks.
Early in the week, the administration floated the idea of redirecting federal child care aid so low-income married stay-at-home parents could get a $9,000 subsidy per child for daycare.
The policy, reportedly hatched by Vice President JD Vance, would use the Department of Health and Human Services’ Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), originally created in the 1990s for low-income single parents. Vance’s defenders stress that the program merely redirects “existing subsidies” and wouldn’t add to the debt.
The notion that Vance was fiscally responsible was quickly shattered later in the week when he appeared on television defending President Donald Trump’s promise to hand every adult a $5,000 “dividend” check should Republicans hold on to Congress.
“We’re taking in an extraordinary amount of revenue,” Vance told Fox News’ Bret Baier. “What the president is saying is, ‘If you keep it going, if you keep us in power and allow us to continue to do these things, then you’re going to share in some of the benefit of this incredible wealth that we are creating in the Uni...