Washington — Washington (AFP) – Melania Trump She planned a rare appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to join a roundtable discussion with House lawmakers who are sponsoring legislation to modernize the nearly 30-year-old foster care program by expanding access to a range of services.
The first lady began working on foster care issues after President Donald Trump’s first term ended in 2021. Her trip to the branch of government at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue comes on the heels of a similar, successful lobbying effort last year to have Congress send legislation to the president Protecting women and children from online sexual exploitation.
The visit also comes a week after Melania Trump made a surprising statement on camera at the White House She denied her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein Knowing his crimes, he urged Congress to hold a hearing for his victims. She also called for an end to the “lies” linking her to the late financier and convicted sex offender.
The first lady said on social media that she looked forward to working with Congress to “advance new legislation aimed at protecting and empowering individuals from the foster care community.” Their shared mission is “to strengthen America’s next generation,” she said.
On Wednesday afternoon, she was meeting with members of the House Ways and Means Committee and people who were in foster care.
The committee was presented by Republicans and Democrats Several bills to update the Chafee Care program To improve outcomes for youth aging out of the foster care system. These measures would increase their access to housing, education, and workforce training programs, among others, to help them successfully transition to adulthood and independence.
The program provides support to foster youth and former foster youth, ages 14 to 21, as they leave the system. The committee said the bipartisan proposals would be the most significant update since the creation of Chafee’s platform in 1999.
Government Accountability Office publication a report In January 2025, it details how states returned millions of dollars in unused Chafee funds to the federal government, despite the unmet needs of foster youth.
Last November, Mr. President Trump created the “Strengthening the Future” program by executive order That federal entities, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and the private sector work together to improve career and educational opportunities for children raised in foster care.
The First Lady, who joined her husband in the Oval Office to sign the executive order, is separately leading the broader “Strengthening the Future” initiative that is part of the child-focused “Be Best” campaign she launched during his first term. The program offers scholarships to current and former youth.
Last month, she It hosted a similarly themed summit With their counterparts from more than 40 countries and called on them to work together to improve children’s access to education and technology around the world.
In March 2025, Melania Trump used her first public appearance after resuming her role as First Lady to join a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill about the Take It Down Act. President Trump She signed the bill into law Two months later, posting intimate photos or threatening to post intimate photos without a person’s consent became a federal crime.
Last week, Melania Trump and the White House separately drew attention to the first conviction under the new law after an Ohio man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to cybercrimes that included real-life AI-generated sexually explicit images and threats of violence to multiple victims.