EXCLUSIVE: Michigan House speaker calls for answers over $300M taxpayer-funded Rx Kids program

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall is scrutinizing the Rx Kids program, a state-funded initiative providing cash payments to pregnant women and new mothers. Hall alleges Democrats misrepresented the program’s purpose, diverting over $300 million from a maternal health initiative to a broader guaranteed-income agenda without traditional eligibility checks. House Republicans have since cut future funding for the program, citing concerns over payments to non-citizens and the program’s alleged ties to voter registration efforts.

• Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall claims the Rx Kids program, funded by over $300 million in taxpayer money, has become a guaranteed income initiative rather than a maternal health program.
• Hall criticizes Rx Kids for lacking the eligibility requirements (citizenship, income verification) found in traditional public assistance programs.
• Concerns have been raised about payments being made to individuals not legally present in the U.S. and the unrestricted nature of the cash payments.
• Hall also points to program leaders’ discussions about expanding the model and ties to voter registration organizations as evidence of a broader agenda.
• House Republicans have omitted future funding for Rx Kids in the new budget and plan to implement stricter ‘guardrails’ for such programs.