Washington, D.C. – After joining President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the White House for the signing of the Fostering the Future for American Children and Families Executive Order, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) issued the following statement: 

“Through this executive order, President Trump and the First Lady are helping foster youth have better futures. Before I came to Congress, I practiced family law and saw firsthand the impacts of the child welfare system on children and families. At the Committee on Ways and Means, one of our top priorities has been to elevate the voices of regular Americans, including children in foster care, and finding ways to work together to improve the child welfare system. This latest action by the Trump Administration will help inform our work on the Committee to advance solutions to improve our foster youth programs. 

“Last Congress, our Committee passed a historic reauthorization of child welfare programs under Title IV-B of the Social Security Act, enacting the most significant reforms to the program since 2008. 

“We have spent this year looking at another program in our jurisdiction, the Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood, with the same goal of enacting needed bipartisan reforms. This program exclusively serves some of our nation’s most vulnerable youth, those aging out of foster care without connections to family or supportive adults. We are holding a second hearing on the program next week to learn from industry leaders about how technology can be used to improve outcomes. 

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Trump Administration to do everything we can to maximize support for youth in foster care.”

Background:

Nearly 16,000 youth age out of foster care each year without permanent connections to family, and face significant challenges in adulthood. 

• Only half finish high school, and only three percent obtain a college degree. 
• One in five will become homeless after aging out of the system.
• Only half will have gainful employment by the age of 24.

Hearing Notice: Work & Welfare Subcommittee Hearing on Leaving the Sticky Notes Behind: Harnessing Innovation and New Technology to Help America’s Foster Youth Succeed

Read: Five Key Moments: Hearing on Modernizing the Chafee Program to Help Vulnerable Foster Youth Reach Their Full Potential

Read: What They Are Saying: Child Welfare Reauthorization Delivers First-In-A-Generation Wins for Parents and Families

Read: Three Key Moments from Hearing on Supporting Youth Aging Out of Foster Care