First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump announced an executive order on Thursday to support young adults transitioning out of the foster care system. The initiative, dubbed 'Fostering the Future for American Children and Families,' aims to expand educational and financial resources for foster youth. It builds on Melania Trump's Be Best program and addresses challenges like homelessness faced by those leaving foster care.
On Thursday, First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump jointly signed the executive order 'Fostering the Future for American Children and Families.' This measure focuses on expanding resources for teenagers and young adults in the foster care system, particularly those transitioning to independence.
Melania Trump, who conceived the idea in 2021, emphasized the initiative's mission to provide entry-level job opportunities and financial independence for foster youth. 'Too many people from the foster care community end up homeless, in danger on America's streets,' she said ahead of the signing. She described the effort as a 'small spark' that would 'ignite a profound and lasting nationwide movement' filled with compassion and innovation.
As part of her Be Best initiative, Fostering the Future already offers scholarships at university and college levels to individuals from the foster care community. The new order builds on this by increasing access to Education and Training Vouchers and federal grants. These will support credentialed programs and financial literacy training for young people aging out of foster care. It also promotes educational opportunities through state-facilitated scholarship programs funded by tax-credited donations to organizations aiding foster children.
President Trump highlighted the moral imperative behind the policy. 'We believe that every American child deserves a safe and loving home, and we're determined to support the amazing families who helped make that happen,' he stated during the signing. He added a biblical reference: 'The Bible tells us that one of the measures of any society is how it cares for vulnerable children and orphans. So important. And it's so big in the Bible.'
According to the Health and Human Services Department, 328,947 children are currently in the foster care system, underscoring the scale of the issue the order addresses.