In Washington, something truly special happened this week. President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump stood side by side to sign a new executive order that puts the needs of foster children front and center. This was not just another government paper-pushing moment—it was a bold step forward for America’s forgotten youth.
The executive order supports Melania Trump’s “Fostering the Future” program, which is part of her larger “Be Best” initiative. These efforts focus on helping children grow strong, stay safe, and live good lives. The new order is aimed at teenagers who are aging out of the foster care system. These are young people who often face the world alone when they turn 18, without family, guidance, or support. Sadly, many end up homeless or in trouble.
According to government data, there are about 328,000 children in foster care today. That’s actually fewer than during President Trump’s first term, when the number was over 437,000. Still, the challenges are great. Only 55% of foster children graduate from high school. Just 10% go on to finish college. And shockingly, 1 in 10 people in jail today once lived in foster care.
This new executive order is designed to change that. It tells the Department of Health and Human Services to make the system work better. That means collecting better data, working with private companies to open career doors, and making sure faith-based groups can help without being blocked by local or state governments. That last part is especially important. The Constitution protects religious liberty, and that includes the right of faith-based organizations to serve others without government interference.
Our Founding Fathers believed in strong families, personal responsibility, and a limited but moral government. This executive order follows those principles. It doesn’t create a huge new federal program. Instead, it calls on churches, charities, and private businesses to step up and do what they do best—serve their communities. That’s the American way.
President Trump reminded us of this when he quoted the Bible. He said that a society should be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable members—especially children. That is a truth as old as the Scriptures and as central to our founding values as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
First Lady Melania Trump added powerful words of her own. She said this moment could be a small spark that starts a big fire—a fire of kindness, compassion, and hope for foster youth. She’s right. One act of leadership can change lives, and this executive order could do just that.
Jaco Booyens, who leads an anti-trafficking group, praised the order as a “declaration that every child is seen, valued, and deserving of a God-given future.” That’s not just good policy. That’s moral leadership.
For too long, foster children have been left behind. They are shuffled between homes, forgotten by bureaucracies, and ignored by politicians. With this executive order, President Trump and First Lady Melania are saying, “No more.” They are shining a light into a dark corner of the system and offering real help.
This is what leadership looks like—compassion guided by principle, backed by action. The Trump administration is not waiting for Congress or state legislatures to fix this. They are using the tools of the executive branch in a lawful and effective way, just as the Constitution allows.
Let us support this effort. Let us call on states to do their part. And let us ensure that every child, no matter where they come from, has a chance at a better future. Because in the United States of America, no child should be forgotten. Not on President Trump’s watch.
