First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump teamed up on Thursday to announce an executive order aimed at expanding resources for teenagers in the foster care system.
The executive order, called “Fostering the Future for American Children and Families,” was signed by both Melania and President Trump, the New York Post reported. Its goal is to help young adults transitioning out of the foster care system by providing them with assistance for their next stage of life.
“Too many people from the foster care community end up homeless, in danger on America’s streets,” the first lady said in advance of the signing.
“It was 2021 when I developed the idea to establish an impactful platform with an important mission: to provide individuals from the foster care community the ability to secure an entry-level job position, and in turn… financial independence,” she continued.
She added, “I predict this small spark today will ignite a profound and lasting nationwide movement. Our united resolve will foster a thriving future filled with compassion and innovation.”
Fostering the Future, which is a Be Best initiative, offers scholarships at the university and college levels to individuals within the foster care community.
Specifically, the order will increase access to Education and Training Vouchers and federal grants to support more credentialed programs and financial literacy for young people transitioning out of foster care. It will also expand educational opportunities by “facilitating state use of scholarship programs funded by tax-credited donations to scholarship-granting organizations for children in foster care.”
“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,” President Trump said during the signing.
“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,” he added.
There are currently 328,947 children in the foster care system, per data published by the Health and Human Services Department.
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