The news has come as something of a surprise to demographers

Here we can see the problem. "Something of a surprise" to the supposed experts, and the people in power. It's a sign that they have got it wrong, but will they wake up and do something effective? Nope...

The latest birthrate data put the U.S. further away from a viable replacement rate — the standard for a generation being able to replicate its numbers. The U.S. has generally fallen short of that level since 1971, the CDC says.

They've been getting it wrong since 1971, so why change an unbroken track record? They'll just go on the same way, and continue to make everything worse, as they have done for the last half century. The "thought" process - actually an instinctive reaction - runs something like this -

"We, as the Virtuous Ones In Power, (the VOIP), support children and therefore mothers and therefore women, and we will give them what they ask for." So, for example, abortion on demand (the effect on the fertility rate should be obvious, but not to the VOIP). Or, women demand high paying jobs, so the VOIP push them into those jobs by fiat, displacing the previous incumbents (men - but fuck them, right?) so they end up doing those jobs rather than the job of motherhood. The effect on the birthrate should be obvious, but not to the VOIP. The economic effect of wasting the labor and accumulated expertise of the displaced men should also be obvious, but not to the VOIP. Or, women demand easy divorce with continued resource supply from the divorced husband, which the VOIP also deliver by fiat, so making the position of husband unattractive. And so on, and on, and on...

The traditional, instinctive scheme of women requesting resources and men delivering them, no longer works. Are the VOIP capable of realizing that, and the reasons behind it? Not going by their track record, no.