First lady Melania Trump calls for lasting legislation to aid foster youth

First Lady Melania Trump issued a call to lawmakers on Wednesday, demanding “action over awareness” to secure the futures of America’s foster children by turning recent executive action into permanent law.

At a bipartisan congressional committee hearing, Trump outlined his vision of turning vulnerable young people into financially independent business owners, declaring that the American dream should be “their birthright.”

While he called the “Supporting the Future” executive order he signed in November a “transformative vision,” he said Congress now has the opportunity to make a lasting, positive impact by passing permanent legislation.

Since the launch of the nationwide “Supporting the Future” initiative in 2021, the program is located at more than 20 universities across the country, including major institutions such as Louisiana State University, University of Virginia, University of Texas and Ohio State University.

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Rather than relying on constant government aid, Trump said his goal at the college level is to prepare those in foster care to secure entry-level jobs, become financially independent, create new jobs and create employment opportunities.

He also highlighted barriers in the current system, noting that only about 3% of people in the foster care community earn a college degree.

First Lady Melania Trump and Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) arrived on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to participate in a House Ways and Means Committee roundtable discussion on advancing legislation protecting American foster care children, the second major legislative initiative of the Trump administration. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

“We can close this gap, but foster youth still face a unique set of challenges outside the classroom that have a serious impact on their academic performance,” Trump said.

“These issues include housing instability, educational advocacy, financial barriers [and] continuity of transportation,” he continued. “… New legislation is a moral imperative for the foster care community.”

First Lady Melania Trump delivers the opening statement at a roundtable discussion with the House Ways and Means Committee on the foster care system. (Nathan Posner/Anatolia via Getty Images)

FLOTUS added that protecting the welfare of foster children helps “shape the integrity of our nation” and reminded bipartisan lawmakers that “America’s children are our moral equals.”

Jocelyn Fetting (center) and Jaden Martinez (right), who were in the foster care system as children, speak at a roundtable discussion about foster care in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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“As parents and leaders, it is our ethical obligation to ensure that American children develop in an emotionally and physically safe environment,” Trump said. “As a society, we work to nurture our children’s curiosity, preserve their innocence, and guide them with compassionate hearts. … But getting there requires a strong knowledge base. Education is the cornerstone of a child’s future.”