TEXAS FAMILY COURT MONEY TRAIL: TITLE IV-E & IV-D FEDERAL DOLLARS

While families are torn apart and parents are bankrupted, Texas rakes in hundreds of millions in federal incentive funding tied directly to child removal and child support enforcement.

Title IV-E – Foster Care, Adoption & Guardianship

(Federal incentives for every child placed in state custody)

• Guardianship Assistance – Admin: $28,616

• Guardianship Assistance – FMAP: $989,914

• Foster Care – Admin (adjustment): –$7,734,919

• Foster Care – FMAP: $4,370,402

• Foster Care – Training (75%): $1,940,123

• Adoption Assistance – Admin (adjustment): –$67,790

• Adoption Assistance – FMAP: $12,234,655

• Adoption Assistance – Training (75%): $1,437

(Source: Texas DFPS July 2023 budget report)

Title IV-D – Child Support Enforcement

(Federal funding tied to collections and performance)

• Total child support collected in 2023: $4.37 Billion

(Source: Texas Attorney General’s FY 2024 budget)

The more children the state removes and the more aggressively it enforces child support, the more federal money flows into Texas coffers.

These programs were sold as “helping kids” — but the money tells another story.

When parents fight for their children, they’re not just up against an ex-spouse… they’re up against a billion-dollar business model.

DISCLAIMER: All figures are taken from official state and federal budget reports. Federal Title IV-E and Title IV-D programs are legal, but their financial incentives raise serious questions about whether profit is being placed over families.