I don't think this would be printing money? I'm also not saying this is a good idea but it does sound like it would be supported by taxes. I may be misunderstanding what you mean by printing money.
Since the government can and does run infinite budget deficits, it's effectively printed. Sure, some is coming from taxes, but it's pretty unlikely that taxes will go up by an amount equivalent to the program costs.
Economically, inflation is equivalent to a tax on dollar-denominated held wealth, though. So it basically amounts to the same thing as taxes, but is paid for by bondholders, pensioners, people with fat savings accounts, and folks who lack bargaining power in their wages (i.e. most service & manufacturing workers) rather than high-earners.
It doesn't actually matter. You can s/printing money/anything the government does with money/ because the government does not typically produce a net gain in resources. That is done by labor and resource extraction.
Planting a tree is an investment in the future. Paying someone to dig up a tree and replant it in your yard is not.
