Melania joins roundtable

Melania Trump went to Capitol Hill on April 15 to press House lawmakers on foster-care legislation, turning an online announcement into a public lobbying push. (whitehouse.gov) She joined a House Ways and Means Committee roundtable with Chairman Jason Smith, Republican of Missouri, Ranking Member Richard Neal, Democrat of Massachusetts, and former foster youth who spoke about aging out of care. (abcnews4.com) The package under discussion would update the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood, a federal program created in 1999 for foster youth and former foster youth ages 14 to 21. House members introduced the bipartisan bills on March 20, 2026. (waysandmeans.house.gov) Ways and Means members said the bills are aimed at housing, education, workforce training, transportation, technology access, and other supports that can affect whether young people make it into adulthood with stable jobs and homes. (waysandmeans.house.gov) Trump tied the roundtable to “Fostering the Future,” a project she started in 2021 under her Be Best banner that steers foster youth toward university-based technology training and scholarships. The White House said the network now includes more than 20 universities. (whitehouse.gov) Her Capitol Hill visit also built on a November 13, 2025 executive order that the White House said was designed to expand education, career development, housing, and other resources for young people leaving foster care. (abcnews4.com) Lawmakers have been working on the issue for months. The committee held a June 2025 hearing on foster youth and the Chafee program, then a November 2025 hearing on technology tools for caseworkers and young adults in care. (waysandmeans.house.gov) At Wednesday’s roundtable, Trump called new foster-care legislation “a moral imperative” and argued that Congress should move from awareness to lawmaking. The next test is whether the bipartisan bills can advance beyond committee and reach the House floor. (whitehouse.gov)