First lady Melania Trump is expected to join a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday to advance her second major legislative initiative of this administration, intended to protect America’s Foster Care children.
The bipartisan gathering in the House Ways and Means Committee roundtable discussion will also include witnesses from the foster care system. Committee Chair Jason Smith, Missouri Republican, has made improving the foster care system a priority, and the proposals have zeroed in on ways to improve it and bolster adoption.
“The Ways and Means Committee has a long, proud tradition of bipartisan cooperation to strengthen America’s child welfare services to better serve families in need – including an historic reauthorization of child welfare programs enacted at the beginning of last year,” Mr. Smith said.
“Similar effort is needed when it comes to the Chafee [foster care] program which has not seen a significant update since its inception nearly thirty years ago. I’m so proud of the work being done by first lady Melania Trump as part of the president’s Executive Order, Fostering the Future, to call attention to these critical needs,” he said.
The panel is urging a legislative package to modernize the Chafee Foster Care Program by creating stronger connections to housing, education, training programs, and other critical supports.
The Chafee program provides support to foster youth and former foster youth, ages 14 to 21, as they transition to adulthood and independence.
In January 2025, the Government Accountability Office published a report highlighting how states were returning millions of dollars in unused Chafee program funds back to the federal government, despite unmet needs of foster youth.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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