As part of their 2025 agenda, Republicans are proposing a bill designed to give struggling, low-income parents more options for child care. Rep. Riley Moore (R-W.Va.) recently introduced the Respect Parents’ Childcare Choices Act, which seeks to put more options and dollars back into parents’ hands.

At the heart of the legislation is a move to turbocharge the Child Care Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, which already serves low-income and working-class families by providing financial aid to help cover child care costs. “This childcare support could include paying a parent to stay at home or paying another relative to care for a child,” The Daily Wire first reported.

“For decades,” Moore told the outlet, “conservatives have rallied around being pro-life, but far too often, the policy framework that came with it lacked strong, substantive ideas to reduce the burden on American families. Being pro-life means being pro-family, and with this legislation, we’re empowering families to choose what works best for them.”

Currently, the budget for CCDBG sits at $8.75 billion. Moore’s proposal would bump that number up to $20 billion by 2031 with $11 billion going toward annual grants received by low-income families. Ultimately, Moore’s office explained that the Act paired with CCDBG allows the program to “better [align] with the needs and wants of families.” According to The Daily Wire, the legislation would:

• Clear “burdensome regulations” in order to allow families to use “vouchers to pay relatives to care for their children.”
• Allow “married parents to receive direct support from a Child Care Development Block Grant voucher, instead of having to use the voucher to pay for a third-party childcare provider.”
• Reform the “Child Care Development Block Grant eligibility criteria to make sure that single parents aren’t punished should they get married.”

According to Moore’s office, it’s all about providing more options. “This bill puts parents back in the driver’s seat,” a spokesperson stated, “letting them decide how their children are cared for, ensuring that CCDBG vouchers support the full range of caregiving options.” Imagine if a voucher could pay you to stay home with your child — that’s the kind of flexibility Moore’s chasing. And, as Moore himself added, “This is just the first step I aim to take in ushering in a new era that makes raising a family great again.”

Quena Gonzalez, Family Research Council’s senior director of Government Affairs, discussed the legislation with The Washington Stand. “For far too long,” he said, “government policies have pushed both parents into the workforce by failing to acknowledge or account for stay-at-home parents.” While the Act would increase federal block grants, it’s undeniable that “many moms, and some dads, would prefer the flexibility to stay home or work from home in order to care for their children,” which is made easier by the proposed bill.

As Gonzalez put it, “The Respect Parents’ Childcare Choices Act gives families that flexibility by removing penalties when parents choose to become caretakers and by allowing low-income families to use state block grants to compensate a parent or family member who provides in-home care.” Additionally, it “ensures that parents that marry will not immediately lose the support for which they would have otherwise been eligible, thereby encouraging family formation.”

While this bill’s journey is just beginning, Gonzales concluded that “Representative Riley Moore is to be commended for this outstanding bill in support of America’s families.”