In-town pool report #5: FLOTUS and POTUS remarks

After FLOTUS called on Americans to “rise above the ease of inaction,” POTUS began his remarks at 2:17 pm. FLOTUS and POTUS remarks are being live-streamed, so I won’t share extensive quotes here.

Sharing below some details from WH on the EO and what FLOTUS is wearing:

FLOTUS attire: Caviar black and white tweed pants suit from Dolce. Christian Louboutin ankle strap shiny lézard shoes.

The Executive Order on Fostering the Future for American Children and Families contains the following provisions that have been central to Mrs. Trump’s focus as First Lady, among others geared toward maximizing strategic partnerships with Americans of faith and modernizing the child welfare system:

• Fostering the Future Pledge & Future Commitments: Establishes a Fostering the Future program to secure government, private-industry, nonprofit, and academic partners’ commitments for new educational and employment pathways for youth transitioning out of foster care;

• Online Resource and Planning Hub:Authorizes the creation of a Fostering the Future online platform for current and former foster youth to develop customized plans for their self-sufficiency and success by connecting them with critical resources;

• Increased Access to Federal Support: Increases access to Education and Training Vouchers and federal grants to support more time-limited and credentialed programs that promote educational success, workforce advancement, and financial literacy for young people transitioning out of care; and

• Expanded Educational Opportunities: Expands educational opportunities by facilitating state use of scholarship programs funded by tax-credited donations to scholarship-granting organizations for children in foster care.

As a result of this new executive order, and as part of First Lady Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future initiative, public and private-sector partners can make commitments to expand access to mentorships, scholarships, technology, and workforce training for youth who have experienced foster care. These pledges will reflect a shared national effort to ensure every young person has the tools to build a strong and independent future.

The following Federal partners announced new commitments as part of this effort:

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): In addition to implementing the directives of the Fostering the Future Executive Order, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will also launch a Fostering the Future-aligned initiative to keep children safely with their families and reduce unnecessary entries into foster care while also increasing the availability of foster homes for children and youth. ACF will also announce a new pilot program to donate decommissioned federal laptops to youth in foster care to help bridge the digital divide and increase access to online resources that are critical for a successful transition to adulthood.

• The U.S. Department of Treasuryand the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: These Departments are committed to hosting a series of roundtables across the country to learn from youth transitioning from foster care about unique obstacles to financial literacy and opportunities to support them on a pathway to sustained financial well-being. These Departments will establish policies and programs to help ensure that the transition process from foster care includes a strong financial literacy foundation. An initial statement of findings from the roundtables will be made available in Spring 2026.

• U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM): OPM announced a new opportunity for youth and young adults who have been in foster care to obtain federal jobs via the Pathways Programs – a special federal government hiring authority for early career talent. In consultation with youth who have experienced foster care, OPM will collaborate with federal agencies to identify internships and early-career employment that provide hands-on experience in government. To strengthen readiness for public service, OPM will build a dedicated applicant portal and incorporate a speaker series and other professional development activities to help participants build skills, networks, and confidence to succeed in the range of opportunities available through federal service.

Private-sector organizations looking to join First Lady Melania Trump in supporting Fostering the Future, are invited to sign the Fostering the Future Pledge at WhiteHouse.Gov/FosteringTheFuture.

First Lady Melania Trump established Fostering the Future in 2021. Fostering the Future, a Be Best initiative, offers scholarships at the university and college levels to individuals within the foster care community. Scholarship recipients acquire essential knowledge vital for obtaining an entry-level position, ultimately leading to financial independence.

Melania Trump’s Fostering the Future’s distinguished participating universities include, but are not limited to Vanderbilt University, University of Miami, Villanova University, Florida University, and Oral Roberts University.

Orion Donovan Smith

D.C. Reporter, The Spokesman-Review

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