President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday afternoon aimed at fast-tracking children through the foster care system.
The order also launched first lady Melania Trump‘s “Fostering the Future” initiative, an offshoot of her “Be Best” antibullying campaign from the president’s first term.
The first lady headlined the signing ceremony, which was also attended by senior Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner.
“As I stand here and observe the audience, I recognize the vital importance of each one of you to this mission, to our future generations,” the first lady said to begin the ceremony.
She said she developed the idea for “Fostering the Future” in 2021, with the mission of providing “individuals from the foster care community the ability to secure an entry-level job position and, in turn, financial independence.”
“Together, we will illuminate the pathway for today’s foster children to become tomorrow’s builders and tomorrow’s builders will foster the future of America’s legacy,” the first lady concluded before turning over the microphone to her husband.
The president asserted that Thursday’s order will make the foster system “better, fairer, and more effective than ever before.”
“When she gets involved in things, that works. I can tell you,” he added.
He noted the provisions in his “one big, beautiful bill” that provide roughly $25 million in scholarship funding to “expand occupational training, education, and financial literacy programs for the foster youth and make it possible for more of them to attend the school of their choice.”
“We are going to protect American children in foster care, and we’re going to ensure that they will never, ever be forgotten,” the president closed. “These children will never be forgotten, and they’re going to grow up to be unbelievable, strong, smart, wealthy, productive citizens.”
He did not field questions from reporters after the event. After signing the order, the president joked that he had done so by hand, not with an autopen.
Felicia Curcuru, the CEO of Binti, a software company that builds tools aimed at improving the child welfare system, also attended the signing ceremony. She told the Washington Examiner that she is “honored” to participate in the initiative.
Curcuru applauded the first lady’s leadership in elevating the needs of children and families in foster care.”
“By shining a national spotlight on the challenges faced by youth in care and the opportunities to strengthen support systems, the First Lady is helping drive the urgency, visibility, and commitment this issue deserves,” Curcuru wrote in a statement. “We are grateful for the Administration’s focus on putting children first, and we appreciate the invitation for Binti to attend, as this moment highlights the critical role technology can play in helping states expand foster family capacity, support youth aging out of care, ensure families receive the services they need, and reduce costs to the government.”
According to White House officials, Thursday’s order will leverage private sector partnerships to provide foster children with technical scholarships and other resources to help youths transitioning out of foster care.
“Scholarship recipients will learn in a supportive environment, gaining knowledge critical to realizing job security within the technology sector,” the program’s landing page on the first lady’s website says. “By providing access to a computer science education, these individuals will be prepared to enter the workforce and ultimately reach financial independence.”
White House officials said just 50% of all children in the foster care system graduate from high school, while just 3% go on to obtain college degrees. Furthermore, they said 25% of foster children experience homelessness, and only half of them gain full employment by the age of 24.
The president previously signed a presidential proclamation this spring declaring May “National Foster Care Month,” and the first lady hosted a group of foster children for trick-or-treating at the White House’s Halloween celebration last month.
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You can watch the president’s remarks in full below.