First Lady Lobbies House Panel to Overhaul Foster Care System

First lady Melania Trump returned to Capitol Hill this week to press lawmakers to move on a set of bills tied to her foster care initiative. At a roundtable with members of the House Ways and Means Committee, Trump framed the effort as an ethical obligation, saying that children in the US foster system are "our moral equals" and that updating federal policy is "a moral imperative." She urged Congress to act on legislation aimed at improving support for current and former foster youth, USA Today reports, particularly around education and the transition to adulthood.

More than 23,000 children age out of the system each year, according to the National Foster Youth Institute, per the Hill. Of those, 20% become homeless by the time they turn 18. Trump highlighted her backing of the Take It Down Act, which targets the distribution of explicit images and deepfakes without consent, and her support for the "Fostering the Future" executive order signed by President Trump last year. That order seeks to modernize the foster care system by upgrading technology, recruiting more caregivers, and strengthening services for young adults leaving care. She said more than 20 universities are now involved in related efforts such as tuition aid for former foster youth. Lawmakers at the session cited persistent gaps in how federal foster care funds are used, per USA Today.

Republican Rep. Darin LaHood pointed to a Government Accountability Office report showing multiple states have been sending back unspent money from the Chafee program, which is intended to help foster youth transition to adulthood. He said more than 30 states returned $8.9 million in unused Chafee funds in 2023. Trump noted that only about 3% of people with foster care backgrounds had earned a college degree as of 2025, arguing that policy changes could narrow that gap by addressing housing, finances, transportation, and access to technology. Jaydan Martinez, a college student who entered the foster care system at age 6, accredited his success to luck. Still, he told lawmakers that they could "turn luck into law" by passing the Chafee changes.