House Unanimously Passes Melania Trump-Backed Fostering the Future Act, Doubling Education Vouchers for Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed the Fostering the Future Act on Tuesday evening, sending First Lady Melania Trump's signature legislative priority to the Senate and giving foster youth aging out of the child welfare system the most significant federal overhaul they have seen since the Chafee program was created in 1999. The bill, designated H.R. 7432, was sponsored by Ways and Means Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) and Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), and cleared the floor without a single dissenting vote.

The legislation more than doubles the maximum Education and Training Voucher, lifting the per-youth cap from $5,000 to $12,000 while keeping the overall appropriation flat — a shift designed to channel more dollars to the youth who actually enroll in post-secondary programs. For the first time, vouchers may be used for short-term workforce certifications, registered apprenticeships, remedial coursework and the costs of obtaining a high school diploma, broadening the program well beyond the four-year college model it was originally built around. The bill also strengthens coordination with the Foster Youth to Independence housing voucher program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and expands access to legal services for young parents who came up through foster care.

Melania Trump, who launched her "Fostering the Future" initiative with an executive order in November 2025, called from the East Wing on lawmakers in the Senate to "bring the Fostering the Future Act across the finish line." The first lady had made a rare appearance on Capitol Hill on April 15 for a Ways and Means roundtable with former foster youth, telling members "new legislation for the foster care community is a moral imperative." Her aides said she personally lobbied at least nine senators by phone in recent weeks, including Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said on the House floor that the bill was the product of "sustained advocacy by young people who refused to be invisible," noting that roughly 20,000 American youth age out of foster care each year without family support. Federal data show that more than one in four become homeless within four years of leaving care, and only about three percent earn a four-year college degree by age 26. A bipartisan coalition of 73 advocacy groups, including the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Foster Care Alumni of America and the National Foster Parent Association, endorsed the package.

Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Hassan introduced the companion bill in April, and a Senate vote is expected before Memorial Day recess. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the bill is roughly cost-neutral over the 10-year window because it does not raise total Chafee program funding. If the Senate moves it without amendment, the bill would head directly to the president's desk — an outcome the first lady's communications director, Nick Clemens, said the East Wing is "actively planning for."