Congress should extend Trump Accounts to Americans under 40

The Senate is due back Nov. 9, and lawmakers should use the return to extend the child-investment framework to adults confronting housing costs and student debt.

Congress should take up Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno’s proposal to extend Trump Accounts to Americans under 40¹. On Oct. 20, 2026, Moreno committed himself publicly: “This is a game-changer and I’ll lead the bill in the Senate to make it happen.”²

Moreno has put his name behind the expansion². The Hill reports that the federal government will invest the accounts in the State Street SPDR Portfolio ETF, which tracks the S&P 500; parents can choose among four other ETFs. Congress should judge the proposal by whether it helps Americans build a household and provide for children.

“This is a game-changer and I’ll lead the bill in the Senate to make it happen.”

Bernie Moreno

More than 70 million children have accounts

The Hill reports that Trump Accounts were created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed in July 2025. Treasury is depositing $1,000 into accounts for American children born from the start of 2025 through 2028¹.

The Hill reports that Invest America says more than 70 million children have accounts, after Treasury automatically enrolled more than 60 million. That gives Congress an existing framework to expand. Lawmakers should preserve the child-centered purpose while bringing adults building families within reach of the same investment approach.

$1,000

Treasury deposit for each eligible child’s account

70 million

children reported to have Trump Accounts

Moreno names the costs facing young adults

Moreno’s case for expansion names concrete goals: “Raising the age limit will give hardworking Americans powerful new tools to buy homes, wipe out student debt, and invest in their own futures.”²

Those are the right priorities for a family-first economic policy. A couple weighing marriage and children needs room in the household budget and a realistic path toward a stable home. Congress should evaluate the expansion against those needs rather than treating a larger account balance as the whole objective.

The goal should be to help working Americans prepare for the responsibilities they want to assume. Family formation belongs at the center of that judgment.

Private contributions are widening children’s stakes

The Hill reports that Dell CEO Michael Dell and his wife, Susan Dell, sent $250 apiece to accounts for 25 million children in ZIP codes with median family income of $117,300 or less—a $6.25 billion contribution. Dozens of companies are also matching Treasury’s contribution for eligible babies¹.

Congress should preserve that opening for private support as it considers adult eligibility. Additional contributions should strengthen a dependable framework; families should not have to count on another donor announcement.

Trump is considering a separate adult version

Trump has also raised an adult version: “We are looking at something different, because it is somewhat of a different thing, having to do with adults,” he told reporters¹.

An adult account deserves rules designed around adult responsibilities. The administration and Congress should work toward a durable policy rather than let separate approaches become a reason to delay.

For parents and prospective parents, the useful question is straightforward: will the account help them prepare for a home, manage obligations and invest for their household’s future?

Congress should make the expansion permanent

Moreno plans to introduce his bill after the midterms, Just the News reports; senators are scheduled to return Nov. 9, according to The Hill³.

The Hill reports that Altimeter CEO Brad Gerstner, an advocate for the accounts, says the proposed legislation would make their funding permanent¹.