All articles tagged with #government programs
One year after New Mexico launched the nation’s first universal free child care program, demand far outpaces slots and costs are rising, leaving many families unable to find care despite eligibility; supporters call it a national model while critics flag sustainability and implementation hurdles.
The Washington Post reports that in Trump’s second term the government has added the president’s name or face to more than a dozen assets—coins, documents, buildings and programs—with some changes prompting lawsuits when assets were renamed, including a gold coin circulating for America’s 250th birthday.
The Treasury Department proposed guidance would let parents contribute up to $2,500 per year tax-free to a child’s Trump account via payroll, with employers also able to contribute up to $2,500 annually for each child (counting toward a $5,000 total annual limit). Each child born between 2025 and 2028 could receive $1,000 in federal seed money for investments. If an employer doesn’t contribute, the employee can still contribute $2,500 pretax. The rule is open for public comments through Sept. 25 with a public hearing on Oct. 15, and more than 50 companies have pledged to contribute.
A CBPP analysis finds more than 4 million people were dropped from SNAP nationwide from July 2025 through March, with about 1.5 million children likely cut from benefits; Arizona saw the steepest declines as states tightened eligibility and screening after the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Treasury officials announced that companies, nonprofits and state/local governments can donate public stock to the new child-investment accounts, with seed funding of up to $1,000 for about 1.4 million accounts (born 2025–2028) and more than 6 million accounts available; stock donations go to the Treasury to be allocated per donor instructions, while cash contributions will be invested in the SPYM ETF.
The Trump administration released a new app to manage child investment accounts, with the federal government seeding $1,000 per eligible child starting July 4; the tool, available on Apple and Google stores, includes financial literacy modules and is aimed at nearly 6 million children born between 2025 and 2028.
Washington Post columnist Michelle Singletary argues that while Trump’s proposal to give millions of workers $1,000 a year to boost retirement savings sounds appealing, it may not reach the workers most in need and could fall short of solving the broader gaps in access to employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Trump highlighted a GOP-created federal program, dubbed 'Trump accounts,' that would seed $1,000 per child born during his second term into investment accounts; the plan was added by last summer’s tax-and-spending law and is intended to promote saving for children.
Ray Dalio and his wife Barbara are supporting the 'Trump accounts' initiative, which provides government seed money and private donations to help build wealth for children, particularly in lower-income areas, as part of a broader effort to promote generational wealth and opportunity in the U.S.
Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, has been banned from federal health programs for 90 years following her conviction for fraud related to the inaccurate and faulty blood-testing claims made by her startup. The Health and Human Services Department can exclude individuals convicted of certain felonies from Medicare, Medicaid, and Pentagon health programs, essentially barring them from working in the broader health care system. The ban is a result of "certain aggravating factors" such as the longevity of Theranos' fraud and Holmes' imprisonment. This decision comes after a trial that determined the unreliability of Theranos' testing technology, which had raised hundreds of millions of dollars and involved partnerships with prominent entities before its downfall.
The US could face an economic crisis in June if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling before the deadline, which would affect many US households and government programs. If an agreement is unable to be reached in time, government programs such as Social Security, veteran benefits, and healthcare programs could be affected. Other possible effects of the default on US households include a decrease in the country's credit rating, an increase in interest rates, and a potential uptick in unemployment.
French President Emmanuel Macron raised the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 without waiting for a legislative vote, sparking widespread outrage. Some lawmakers in the U.S. have floated the idea of raising the retirement age amid rising concerns about whether the government can sustain programs such as Social Security and Medicare. A bipartisan group of senators is tasked with holding discussions of making changes to Social Security in order to increase the program’s longevity, including considering the retirement age and raising the taxable wage gap. Some Republicans have suggested that the U.S. begin talks on changing the retirement age, which currently stands at a minimum of 62 years to receive Social Security benefits.