EXCLUSIVE: Michigan House speaker calls for answers over $300M taxpayer-funded Rx Kids program
The Republican leader of Michigan’s House says a state-funded maternal health initiative has become something far different than lawmakers were promised, accusing Democrats of using more than $300 million in taxpayer funding to advance a broader guaranteed-income agenda.
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Digital as House Republicans continue scrutinizing Rx Kids, a taxpayer-funded program that provides unrestricted cash payments to pregnant women and new mothers.
Hall argued lawmakers believed they were funding a maternal and prenatal health initiative, not what he described as a broader experiment in guaranteed income.
"I think the Democrats kind of slipped this in here under the idea that it was for prenatal care," Hall told Fox News Digital. "Lawmakers did not have the complete picture."
Rx Kids launched in Flint in 2024 and provides expectant mothers with a $1,500 lump-sum payment during pregnancy, followed by $500 monthly payments after the child is born.
According to materials provided to Fox News Digital by Hall’s office, the program has expanded to communities across Michigan with more than $300 million in taxpayer funding.
Rx Kids has promoted the initiative as a maternal and infant health program designed to reduce financial stress for new families. According to podcast interviews and program materials, its leaders have also discussed expanding the model to communities across Michigan and beyond.
EXCLUSIVE: VIDEO SHOWS MICHIGAN LAWMAKER TOURING DAYCARE IN $1.1M TAXPAYER FUNDING PROBE
Hall argued the program lacks the eligibility requirements found in traditional public assistance programs.
"We have a lot of social safety net programs in our country that are working very well," Hall said. "They have eligibility checks. They look at citizenship. They look at income verification.
"Rx Kids, by design, is given to anyone that has a child," he continued. "They don’t look for citizenship. They just pay out anyone that has a child."
Hall’s office also provided Fox News Digital with video of legislative committee testimony in which program officials acknowledged payments had been made to individuals who were not legally present in the United States.
CALIFORNIA ‘BASIC INCOME’ EXPERIMENT FAILS TO PROVIDE ‘FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE,’ STUDY FINDS
Hall argued taxpayer-funded cash assistance should include income and legal status requirements similar to those used by existing public assistance programs.
"What we prefer are the traditional welfare programs like Medicaid, the food stamp program and the WIC program," Hall said. "They make sure you’re here legally, they make sure you’re not making a lot of money and then they give you the benefit. That’s not what Rx Kids is."
Hall also criticized the program’s unrestricted cash payments, noting recipients are not required to spend the money on diapers, formula, housing or other expenses related to pregnancy or caring for a newborn.
"They give you this free cash and there are no strings attached by definition," Hall said.
MAYORS WANT TO KEEP HANDING OUT FREE CASH AFTER FEDERAL FUNDS DRIED UP
Hall said caseworkers had told him they had seen recipients use the money for alcohol, drugs and gambling. Fox News Digital has not independently verified those claims.
The speaker also pointed to public comments from Rx Kids leaders that he said reinforced Republican concerns that the initiative is intended to become something larger than a maternal health program.
Hall's office also shared podcast interviews in which Rx Kids co-founder Luke Shaefer discussed the expanded Child Tax Credit and the role he believes Rx Kids can play following the expiration of those federal payments.
In a separate interview, Dr. Mona Hanna, the leader of Rx Kids, discussed her vision of expanding the initiative into a government-scale public program.
DEM SENATE HOPEFUL ABDUL EL-SAYED RECOUNTS SMASHING VODKA BOTTLE AFTER BEARD CRITICISM
Hall said those remarks aligned with his assessment of Rx Kids.
"This is a progressive left-wing experiment toward basically a universal income," Hall said. "They’re trying to move the welfare state down that lane."
Hall also questioned the program’s advisory network.
Hall's office also shared archived versions of the Rx Kids website that listed Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan Secretary of State and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson's husband Ryan Friedrichs and Community Change official Dorian Warren as members of the program's advisory circle.
MICHIGAN’S TOP ELECTION OFFICIAL WINS DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR, ADVANCES TO BATTLEGROUND RACE
The advisory circle page was removed from the organization’s website days after lawmakers questioned program leaders during a June 2 Michigan House Oversight Committee hearing.
The timing of the removal does not establish why the page was taken down.
"Our secretary of state’s husband is on the advisory board. Abdul El-Sayed is on the board," Hall said. "It’s like a who’s who of radical left Democrats."
Hall’s office also pointed to an Rx Kids white paper examining voter turnout among recipients and the program’s promotion of Vot-ER, a physician-backed voter registration organization powered by TurboVote.
Materials provided by Hall’s office also identified Hanna as an adviser to Vot-ER.
Hall said those connections and the program’s research into voting behavior deserved additional scrutiny.
"We’re trying to understand why are you so interested in the voting pattern of the people that are receiving your no-strings-attached welfare," Hall said. "We aren’t getting good answers."
Hall said House Republicans did not include additional funding for Rx Kids in Michigan’s newly signed budget, though the program still has access to previously appropriated funds.
"The good news is that we cut off funding to this program in the new budget," Hall said. "In the future, we’re going to try to put guardrails around it so that it goes to the people that truly need it."
Rather than eliminating assistance for struggling families, Hall said he wants taxpayer dollars directed toward existing programs that assess financial need and place restrictions on how certain benefits can be spent.
"I think people support those programs," Hall said. "They have eligibility requirements to ensure that you’re not taking advantage of the system."
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office, Rx Kids and Michigan State University for comment.