Summary

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a memo prioritizing federal funding for communities with marriage and birth rates above the national average.

The directive, which applies to grants, loans, and contracts, also prioritizes projects benefiting families with young children.

A congressional aide criticized the policy, saying, “Considering fertility rates when prioritizing federal grants? We obviously have no idea what the full impact of that will be… It’s absolutely creepy. It’s a little ‘Chinese government.’”

The memo also blocks mask mandates and requires compliance with immigration enforcement.

    • yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de
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      20 days ago

      Isn’t poverty strongly correlated to higher birth rates? Education is very much known to cause lower birth rates and poorer areas lack (access to) education.

      • Spacehooks@reddthat.com
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        20 days ago

        Yes but my counter point would be not when people are taking BCs or doing abortions. No one In right mind has children that can’t afford if they can help it, which is a issue globally. Plus the stress of caring for someone in uncertain times.

        Box of condoms way cheaper than a child. I would bet if you gave poor countries free BCs, you would see a sharp decline in pops in a few years.

        • yetAnotherUser@discuss.tchncs.de
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          20 days ago

          Eh, I’d argue for birth control to be effective the knowledge how to use it and have safe sex is pretty important - which relies on education (though in a sex-ed and not tertiary education kind of way).

          Increasing education spending directly results in a lower birth rate, much more so than “just” providing free birth control. Ideally both should be provided though.

          • Spacehooks@reddthat.com
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            20 days ago

            Lol this feels like chicken and egg convo.

            Education leads more people wanting to take BC Vs Bc allow more people to get educated.