Melania Trump urges Congress to expand resources for foster children

First Lady Melania Trump told the House Ways and Means Committee she supports updating the 30-year-old Chafee Foster Care Program and increasing support for youth aging out of foster care.

First Lady Melania Trump went to Capitol Hill to press lawmakers for more resources for foster children, with special emphasis on those who age out of the system. She spoke to the House Ways and Means Committee and urged updates to the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program, which is now more than 30 years old. Her remarks highlighted barriers such as housing instability, financial challenges, transportation and limited access to technology. The visit came as lawmakers consider legislative changes to support foster youth and as she prepares to bring the message to a wider audience. Known details: - Trump advocated updating the Chafee Foster Care Program and described new legislation for the foster care community as a moral imperative. - The article reports that only about 3% of children who were in foster care had received a college degree in 2025. - Federal data cited in the article put the number of children and youth in foster care at roughly 360,000 to over 400,000 at any given time. - The first lady has promoted a "Fostering the Future" initiative tied to her "Be Best" campaign, which includes scholarships for current and former foster youth; the president signed an executive order creating a related program that asks federal entities, nonprofits, schools and the private sector to coordinate on opportunities for foster youth. - Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith recounted a foster youth from his district who received a housing voucher from the first lady's program, which the youth said changed his outlook; the article reports the youth now works as a corrections officer and intends to apply to college. Summary: Her visit adds public attention to a set of proposals lawmakers are weighing to strengthen coordination between child welfare and federal housing programs, expand education and training options beyond four-year degrees, and improve supports for foster youth who are parents. She plans to extend her outreach nationwide, and congressional consideration of updates to the Chafee program is underway.