Fewer women in the United States want to have children, but key figures in the Trump administration seem determined to change that — even though federal programs aimed at reproductive health are facing significant changes, CNN reported.

According to a new report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 3.6 million babies were born in the country in 2024. Last year's birth rate — 54.6 children per 1,000 women of reproductive age — increased by less than 1% from the record low in 2023, remaining well below levels seen in previous years.

The birth rate in the US has been declining for decades, with a particularly sharp decline since the Great Recession of 2008. The slight increase in 2021 sparked theories of a "baby boom" due to COVID-19, but the birth rate quickly returned to its more consistent downward trend.

Experts say that annual fluctuations in birth rates are more gradual and that a change in one year — such as this year's slight increase — is not indicative of a change in the long-term trend.

But the latest preliminary data released by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics also show that births continue to shift toward older mothers. The birth rate is highest among women in their early 30s in 2024, with more than 95 births per 1,000 women aged 30 to 34.

At the same time, births among teenagers and women in their early 20s fell to record lows last year, the report said. There were fewer than 13 births per 1,000 teenage girls, down 3% from 2023. And the birth rate among women aged 20 to 24—about 56 births per 1,000 women—was only slightly above the birth rate among women in their late 30s.

The slight increase in births last year—about 27,000 more than in 2023—is due to higher fertility among Asian and Latin American women, while fertility among Black, White, and Native American women has declined.

Experts point to many reasons why women are delaying childbirth or not having children at all, with their decisions influenced by socioeconomic circumstances and broader experiences with reproductive health.

The US is facing a maternal health crisis, with more than a third of the country located in a health desert and extremely high rates of maternal mortality, especially among Black women. Research also shows that the abortion ban in the US exacerbates existing health inequalities, as birth rates in at-risk groups are rising and infant mortality is increasing disproportionately.

Against the backdrop of declining birth rates, pro-natalist rhetoric from some officials in President Trump's circle is growing, but those calling for higher birth rates in the US have not presented a clear plan for how to support women, babies, and families.

Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency, said low birth rates are a concern for him.

"Humanity is dying," he told Fox News last month.

Vice President Jay Chalmers Vance supported anti-abortion activists at the March for Life rally in January, days after taking office, and clearly stated his goal.

"Our society has not recognized the obligation that one generation has to another as a fundamental part of life in society," he said. "So let me say it very simply: I want more babies in the United States."

And Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a memo in March promising more funding for places with higher birth rates.

In 2023, Trump announced that he wanted a "baby boom" in the US. During his 2024 presidential campaign, he called himself the "father of in vitro" and in February signed an executive order to develop policy recommendations to expand access to in vitro fertilization and lower prices.

But federal programs focused on reproductive health have been hit hard as Musk's department leads sweeping changes across the federal government.

Two-thirds of the reproductive health department at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been cut, according to a source who was part of the department and wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals. Programs focused on abortion monitoring, contraception guidelines, in vitro fertilization monitoring, pregnancy risk assessment, and others are among those that have lost entire teams with no plans to replace them.

The US Department of Health and Human Services said maternal and reproductive health programs would continue under the new Health and Human Services Administration, but did not provide further details. | BGNES