Michigan House Speaker Questions $300M Rx Kids Program, Alleges Guaranteed-Income Agenda

Michigan House Speaker Matt Hall is demanding accountability over a state maternal health initiative that has distributed more than $300 million in taxpayer funds, asserting Democratic lawmakers disguised a guaranteed-income experiment as prenatal care. Hall made his comments during an interview with Fox News Digital as House Republicans intensify their examination of Rx Kids, which provides unrestricted cash assistance to expectant and new mothers across the state.

The program launched in Flint in 2024 and offers pregnant women a $1,500 lump-sum payment followed by $500 monthly payments after birth. According to Hall’s office, Rx Kids has since expanded statewide with backing that exceeds $300 million in public resources. Program leaders have promoted it as a maternal and infant health initiative designed to reduce financial strain on new families while also discussing broader expansion possibilities.

Hall contends the program operates without eligibility safeguards common to traditional public assistance. He noted that Rx Kids distributes funds to any individual with a child regardless of citizenship or income status, distinguishing it sharply from programs like Medicaid, food stamps and WIC that implement verification requirements. Legislative committee testimony showed program officials acknowledged payments reaching individuals without legal status in the United States.

The speaker criticized the absence of restrictions on how recipients spend the cash, pointing to reports from caseworkers describing use for alcohol, drugs and gambling. Fox News Digital has not independently confirmed those allegations. Hall emphasized that established assistance programs include both eligibility checks and spending guidelines, protections he believes should apply to publicly funded initiatives.

Hall highlighted public statements from Rx Kids leaders suggesting the program represents groundwork for expanded government welfare assistance. Documents show co-founder Luke Shaefer discussed the initiative’s potential role following expiration of federal child tax credit enhancements, while Dr. Mona Hanna outlined aspirations to scale the model into a government-level public program.

Hall also questioned the program’s advisory network, noting archived website versions identified Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, Ryan Friedrichs—husband of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson—and Community Change official Dorian Warren as advisers. The advisory circle page disappeared from the website days after a June 2 Michigan House Oversight Committee hearing where lawmakers questioned program leadership.

An Rx Kids white paper examining voter turnout among recipients and the program’s promotion of Vot-ER, a physician-backed voter registration platform, raised further concerns for Hall about the initiative’s focus on beneficiary voting patterns. He questioned why the program tracked such data alongside distributing unrestricted cash assistance without receiving satisfactory answers.

House Republicans excluded additional Rx Kids funding from Michigan’s recently signed budget, though the program retains access to previously appropriated money. Hall said the legislature would work toward implementing oversight measures to ensure assistance reaches genuinely needy families while maintaining spending restrictions similar to traditional welfare programs.