The Trump administration has recouped over $7 million in overdue child support payments by revoking passports from parents who owe significant back payments, marking a sharp departure from the Biden-era focus on gender-neutral language reforms within the same agency.
From ‘Parentage’ to Passport Crackdowns
Under President Biden, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) drew attention for proposing to replace terms like ‘paternity’ with gender-neutral alternatives like ‘parentage.’ But under President Trump, the agency’s Office of Child Support Enforcement has taken a more aggressive approach: seizing travel documents from parents who owe child support.
‘That’s $7 million back into the hands of the custodial parent to benefit the child that wouldn’t have happened otherwise,’ Alex Adams, Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services, told The Daily Wire.
Big Debts, Big Payments
The crackdown has forced some parents to pay staggering sums to regain their passports. One California man liquidated a life insurance policy to cover his $435,000 debt, while a Connecticut businessman paid $176,000 immediately when faced with a mandatory trip to Greece.
‘If someone had a passport revoked and immediately they can go cut a $400,000 check to the custodial parent, that is highly suggestive of it not being a monetary issue,’ Adams said. ‘It would be an issue of responsibility.’
How the Program Works
A 1996 law allowed passport revocation for parents owing more than $2,500, but enforcement was rare until this May, when the Trump administration began targeting those with debts exceeding $100,000. After collecting $1.5 million in just two months, officials expanded the program to include parents owing $10,000 or more.
‘We’ve got to get back to child support enforcement,’ Adams said, contrasting the current approach with the previous administration’s focus on terminology changes.
Source: www.dailywire.com — https://www.dailywire.com/news/under-biden-this-agency-erased-fatherhood-under-trump-its-going-after-deadbeat-dads