Gavin Newsom’s Free Diaper Program Faces Backlash Over Taxpayer Costs And Nonprofit Partnership

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is facing fierce backlash after unveiling a taxpayer-funded diaper giveaway program that critics say reeks of government waste and nonprofit cronyism.

The governor announced Friday that the state’s new “Golden State Start” initiative will provide 400 free diapers to every newborn delivered in participating California hospitals through a partnership with nonprofit Baby2Baby.

Newsom hailed the effort as a “first-in-the-nation program” aimed at easing affordability pressures for struggling families by leveraging the purchasing power of the state to distribute “high-quality, mass-produced diapers directly to families.”

But conservatives and business leaders immediately pounced after details emerged showing the initiative will use $7.4 million in taxpayer money from California’s 2025-2026 budget, with another $12.5 million requested for the following year.

Among the loudest critics was Peter Basios, who blasted the initiative as “grifting nonsense” and argued California taxpayers are being taken for a ride.

“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. Now walk into any Costco in California and you can buy the same quality diapers for .12 to .15 cents each!”

“That’s $48 to $60 for 400 diapers,” he added. “So the state is paying 8–10x more per diaper than a regular family buying in bulk.”

Basios called the initiative “peak government stupidity” and accused Newsom of “funding another bloated nonprofit-government grift.”

The criticism was quickly amplified by Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, who argued the state would save money by simply letting parents keep more of their own earnings.

“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 bulls— nonprofit which the cronies of his are going to make money,” he charged.

How much are diapers at Target compared to Gavin Newsom’s government diapers paid for by YOUR taxes?

We went to take a look: pic.twitter.com/iahLUbm1Fm

— Steve Hilton (@SteveHiltonx) May 10, 2026

More over at The New York Post:

Gavin Newsom’s $20M diaper deal torn apart with shocking figures: ‘Peak stupidity’ https://t.co/0xU7TRjk9o pic.twitter.com/cF6ETiZnAL

— New York Post (@nypost) May 10, 2026