Not wanting to let in immigrants, prime minister begs Hungarian women to have more babies

Rather than welcome in immigrants, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has come up with an expensive plan to boost the population.

In his state of the nation address on Sunday, Orban said that any woman who has four or more children won't ever have to pay income tax again. "In all of Europe there are fewer and fewer children, and the answer of the West to this is migration," he said. "They want as many migrants to enter as they are missing kids, so that the numbers will add up. We Hungarians have a different way of thinking. Instead of just numbers, we want Hungarian children. Migration for us is surrender." He also said families with several children will receive mortgage help, and more spots will open at nursery schools.

Hungary is dealing with a dwindling population due to Orban's anti-immigration stance, young workers leaving the country, and low birthrates. He angered many Hungarians by enacting legislation that lets employers demand overtime from workers, The Washington Post reports, likely an attempt to address the labor shortage. Now, Hungary's population is about 10 million, but that's expected to plummet to 8 million by 2050. Orban didn't say how his proposals will be funded, and they still need parliamentary approval.

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