Within the American conservative tradition, a quiet but consequential argument is unfolding over what it means to honor the family. Vice President JD Vance has proposed extending federal childcare subsidies to stay-at-home parents — up to $9,000 per child annually — only to find his most pointed critics not on the left, but among allies who fear that government support, however well-intentioned, carries the seeds of dependency and intrusion. The dispute reveals that the question of how a society values the work done inside the home remains unresolved, even among those who agree it deserves to