JD Vance's past remarks on car seats deterring people from having kids go viral
A resurfaced video clip of Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance is once again taking off on the internet as economic issues and family dynamics continue to dominate the election cycle.
This particular clip from 2023 is gaining traction because Vance indicates that car seats are preventing people from having more babies.
A TikTok of Vance made by user @WhatTheActualKaren, whose bio identifies her as "Team Kamala," shows an excerpt of his exchange with Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO president Sara Nelson at a March 2023 Senate hearing for the Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation.
The longer video from the hearing, originally surfaced by Snopes, shows Vance advocating for balancing marginal safety improvements for infants on airplanes with the stressors they might put on the kids and parents.
"American families aren't having enough children. I think there's evidence that some of the things that we're doing to parents is driving down the number of children that American families are having," Vance says in the video.
"In particular, there's evidence that the car seat rules that we've imposed, which of course I want kids to drive in car seats, have driven down the number of babies born in this country by over 100,000. So as we think about how to make kids safe here, I think we should do it in a way that's accommodating to American families."
Vance's campaign did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment for this story.
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Internet reacts to Vance's comments, raises issues on the economy
Vance's remarks on car seats are the latest incident of his previous words being resurfaced for political fodder. His 2021 accusations that the country is being run by "childless cat ladies," with less of a stake in the future of the country than those with children, have been a consistent point of attack from Democrats.
The TikTok of the transportation hearing was widely shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, often with laughing faces or eye-rolling emojis. Several people argued that the economy, not car seats, is deterring people from having kids.
"Yes JD Vance, it's the car seat laws that are keeping ppl from having kids nowadays. Not the astounding daycare or grocery costs, not the fact both parents have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet, or have other goals in mind. It's the car seat laws..." one user said in apparent sarcasm.
The economy has been a major issue in this election, as both presidential candidates make the case to voters that they will better support Americans in the face of years-long inflation and the rising cost of living.
Former President Donald Trump's economic agenda includes universal tariffs, expanding 2017 tax cuts, and cracking down on illegal immigration. Vice President Kamala Harris' plan includes tackling the housing crisis, reducing the cost of child care and banning price gouging on food and groceries.
Contributing: Paul Davidson, USA TODAY
This article was updated to change a video.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JD Vance blames car seats for declining birthrates in viral video