BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Throughout the United States, hundreds of thousands of children rely on the foster care system for safety, care, and preparation for fulfilling lives. This National Foster Care Month, the First Lady and I, alongside many Americans, commend the foster families whose dedication helps our youngest citizens reach their full potential as they pursue their American Dream.
Across the country, individuals answer the remarkable call to open their homes to children who have faced unimaginable hardships. These caregivers, supported by social workers, clergy, educators, and numerous volunteers, provide stability, a sense of belonging, and hope where previously only uncertainty existed.
My Administration is committed to achieving the highest standards for the children in foster care who depend on us. In November 2025, I enacted an Executive Order on Fostering the Future for American Children and Families — a groundbreaking initiative led by First Lady Melania Trump to enhance foster care, support families, and improve outcomes for children nationwide. Under our leadership, we are creating new public and private sector opportunities for young people with foster care experience, enhancing data sharing to boost efficiency, and strengthening accountability across the foster care system nationwide.
Thanks to the outstanding efforts of our First Lady, the Melania Trump Fostering Youth to Independence Program has extended its reach, allocating $30 million to ensure housing stability and long-term success for young people transitioning out of foster care, preventing abandonment at a critical juncture in their lives.
In states nationwide, local governments are undertaking bold reforms to tackle the shortage of foster homes. We are investing in families and communities to prevent unnecessary entries into foster care, and when children cannot safely remain at home, we ensure stable and loving foster families are ready to welcome them with the care and warmth they deserve. States are actively recruiting foster families, bolstering kinship placement policies, and providing foster parents with the resources and training needed for success.
Foster families represent the best of the American spirit through their limitless love, unwavering devotion, and steadfast belief in the potential of future generations. During National Foster Care Month, we pay tribute to every caregiver, social worker, judge, and advocate whose work uplifts our foster children, and I pledge that my Administration will continue striving to provide them with opportunities for success. Investing in these young lives today builds the strength, character, and limitless future of America tomorrow.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by the authority granted to me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, hereby proclaim May 2026 as National Foster Care Month. I urge all Americans to recognize the contributions of those who support our Nation’s foster care system and to renew their commitment to improving the lives of the children who rely on their service.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fiftieth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
