California Governor Gavin Newsom’s new plan to hand out free diapers to newborns across the state is already triggering fierce backlash from critics who say taxpayers are footing the bill for what they describe as another bloated government giveaway wrapped in nonprofit bureaucracy.
The program, called “Golden State Start,” was announced Friday as a partnership between the state and nonprofit organization Baby2Baby. Under the initiative, every newborn delivered at participating California hospitals would receive 400 free diapers.
Newsom framed the effort as part of a broader affordability agenda designed to help struggling families cope with rising costs.
But critics immediately zeroed in on the price tag.
The state plans to spend roughly $7.4 million from California’s 2025–2026 budget on the diaper initiative while already seeking another $12.5 million in funding for the following year.
That sparked outrage from Peter Basios, founder of an organic baby formula company, who accused the state of massively overpaying for products families could buy themselves at a fraction of the cost.
“100,000 babies × 400 diapers = 40 million diapers,” Basios wrote on X while breaking down the math behind the program.
“$20,000,000 ÷ 40,000,000 = $0.50 per diaper.”
Basios argued that families shopping at Costco could buy equivalent diapers for roughly 12 to 15 cents each — meaning the state may be paying as much as eight to ten times the normal retail cost.
“That’s $48 to $60 for 400 diapers,” he wrote. “So the state is paying 8–10x more per diaper than a regular family buying in bulk.”
He blasted the initiative as “peak government stupidity” and accused Newsom of “funding another bloated nonprofit-government grift.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton echoed the criticism and accused Newsom of using the program to funnel taxpayer money through politically connected organizations.
“Why is it three times more expensive for Gavin Newsom to send diapers to 100,000 babies than just leaving the money in the bank accounts of the parents in the first place?” Hilton asked in a video posted online.
“Because it’s going to some total bullshit nonprofit which the cronies of his are going to make money.”
Hilton argued the state should focus instead on lowering taxes and reducing living costs so parents can afford basic necessities themselves.
“The answer is cutting taxes so parents can afford to buy diapers in the first place,” he said, calling the initiative a “ridiculous bureaucratic scheme.”
Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the criticism.
