Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall is demanding answers about Rx Kids, a maternal cash-assistance program that began in Flint in 2024 and — according to Republican lawmakers' materials — has received more than $300 million in state funding. The program pays a $1,500 lump sum during pregnancy and $500 monthly after birth, but critics say it lacks income and citizenship eligibility checks common to traditional welfare programs. Hall's office released testimony and archived materials linking Rx Kids to prominent Democrats and voter-registration efforts, prompting calls for additional oversight. The new state budget did not add funding for Rx Kids, though the program can still draw on prior appropriations.
Michigan Speaker Demands Answers Over $300M Rx Kids Maternal Cash Program
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall discusses his concerns about Michigan's Rx Kids program.
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall is publicly pressing for more information about Rx Kids, a state-funded maternal cash assistance program that began in Flint in 2024. Hall and House Republicans say the initiative — which provides a lump-sum payment during pregnancy and monthly payments after birth — has expanded with more than $300 million in taxpayer funding and requires greater oversight.
What Rx Kids Does
Rx Kids launched in Flint in 2024. The program offers expectant mothers a one-time $1,500 payment during pregnancy and $500 monthly after the child is born, with organizers saying the goal is to reduce financial stress and support early childhood needs.
Lawmakers’ Concerns
Speaker Hall told Fox News Digital that lawmakers were led to believe the funding would support targeted maternal and prenatal care, not an open-ended cash-assistance model. "I think the Democrats kind of slipped this in here under the idea that it was for prenatal care," Hall said. "Lawmakers did not have the complete picture."
The cover of the Rx Kids playbook describes how communities can replicate the Michigan-based maternal cash assistance program.
"We have a lot of social safety net programs in our country that are working very well. They have eligibility checks. They look at citizenship. They look at income verification." — Speaker Matt Hall
House Republicans supplied materials and committee hearing video that they say show the program lacks conventional eligibility checks such as income verification and citizenship requirements. According to video provided by Hall's office, program officials acknowledged payments had been made to individuals who were not legally present in the United States. Fox News Digital has not independently verified those claims.
Scope, Funding And Political Questions
Hall's office provided documents and archived web pages showing Rx Kids' expansion across Michigan and more than $300 million in state funding, according to the materials. They also pointed to an advisory circle that previously listed public figures — including Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Ryan Friedrichs (husband of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson), and Community Change official Dorian Warren — a page that was removed from the Rx Kids site after a June 2 oversight hearing. The timing of the removal does not establish why it was taken down.
Republicans also highlighted public comments and podcast interviews from Rx Kids leaders. In those interviews, co-founder Luke Shaefer discussed the expanded Child Tax Credit and the program's potential role after federal payments ended, while Rx Kids leader Dr. Mona Hanna described a vision of scaling the model. Hall characterized these remarks as evidence the initiative could be moving toward broader guaranteed-income aims.
Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall, left, stands with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Hall has criticized the state's Rx Kids program.
Voter-Related Questions
Materials from Hall's office identified Dr. Hanna as an adviser to Vot-ER, a physician-backed voter registration group powered by TurboVote. The office also shared an Rx Kids white paper that examined voter turnout among recipients. Hall said those connections and research into voting patterns warranted further 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. We aren't getting good answers."
Budget And Next Steps
House Republicans did not include additional Rx Kids funding in Michigan's recently signed budget, though the program can still access previously appropriated funds. "The good news is that we cut off funding to this program in the new budget," Hall said, adding that future appropriations should include guardrails to ensure benefits reach those most in need.
Hall also said caseworkers had reported seeing recipients spend the money on items such as alcohol, drugs and gambling; Fox News Digital has not independently verified those assertions. Hall emphasized he supports assistance for struggling families but prefers using established programs — like Medicaid, SNAP (food stamps) and WIC — that verify eligibility and sometimes restrict how benefits are used.
Fox News Digital reached out to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office, Rx Kids and Michigan State University for comment. Lawmakers say they will continue oversight and seek further documentation about the program's funding, eligibility rules, and activities.
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