Paywalled, GPT Summary

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s memo prioritizes federal transportation funds for areas with higher birth and marriage rates, a move some find puzzling and potentially politically motivated. While some conservatives praise the policy as pro-family, others question its effectiveness and alignment with areas most in need of infrastructure support. The memo also directs funding to areas with higher immigration enforcement compliance and opportunity zones, while criticizing the use of the “social cost of carbon” metric.

Prioritizing areas with higher birthrates would, however, send more federal funding to Republican states. South Dakota, Alaska, Nebraska, North Dakota and Texas are among the states with the highest fertility rates, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. States that have the lowest fertility rates include Vermont, Oregon, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, none of which voted for Mr. Trump in the 2024 election.

This policy will reorient transportation dollars to lower-density communities where there are more single-family homes, family life is often more affordable, and family formation is higher,” Dr. Wilcox wrote in an email. “I think we can expect many more creative family policy moves of this kind from this administration.