The Trump administration launched Moms.gov and proposed an optional employer-based health care coverage plan for in-vitro fertilization and other fertility treatments at a White House maternal health care event on Monday. President Donald Trump and senior health officials used the event to reiterate policies intended to encourage higher birth rates.

The IVF proposal would not require employers to offer fertility coverage, which is not included under most insurance plans. Trump said he was deeply invested in expanding fertility options for women.

Moms.gov is the administration's website for new and expecting mothers. The home page features soft pastel graphics and a photograph of a young white blond woman in a field clutching her pregnant belly. The site offers resources for women of reproductive age, including anti-abortion pregnancy centers, and links to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention page listing potential workplace hazards for expecting mothers without noting accompanying legal protections for pregnant women. The site's financial proposal includes a plan for children to receive $1,000 in an investment account upon turning 18.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said at the event that the country was undergoing a fertility crisis that he described as a threat to the national economy and security. He cited endocrine disrupting chemicals, pesticides, and other factors as potential contributors to hormonal imbalances causing infertility. Kennedy said that men in 1970 had twice the sperm count of today's teenagers.

Ashley Wiltshire, a fertility specialist at Columbia University Fertility Center, said the research underlying the sperm count claim has been debunked by more contemporary studies. A meta-analysis published in 2023 in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility found that sperm counts among men remained relatively stable between 1970 and 2023. Wiltshire said male infertility has been on the rise globally but that specific causes remain unclear and do not appear to be directly related to the cited sperm count study.

In 2024, the total fertility rate in the United States reached a record low of 1.6 children per woman over her lifetime, though the U.S. birth rate still exceeds the death rate. Many major industrialized countries are experiencing declining birth rates.

"It takes systemic change to turn America's birth rates around. The Trump administration is leaving no stone unturned to address this challenge, from researching long-ignored chronic health issues that affect fertility to pushing policies that will improve childcare, health care, and housing affordability," White House spokesperson Kush Desai said.

Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation's agenda for a second Trump administration, outlines a pronatalist agenda and proposes $5,000 baby bonuses for women who have children.