Melania Faces Humiliation as Key Deadline Approaches
Melania Trump’s biggest legislative push risks falling flat as a self-imposed August deadline fast approaches with the bill stuck in the Senate.
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The first lady, 56, has less than a month to deliver on a deadline she privately set for her signature foster care legislation, with the bill needing to pass the Senate before Congress begins its August recess.
Trump told House lawmakers during a bipartisan roundtable on Capitol Hill in April that she wanted the legislation on President Donald Trump’s desk “by the August recess,” according to Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), Politico reported Friday.
Congress is scheduled to begin its annual August recess on Aug. 10, leaving the Senate with only a narrow window to act before lawmakers leave Washington until Sept. 8.
The legislation, part of the first lady’s “Fostering the Future” initiative, aims to expand access to housing, education, and workforce training programs for those eligible in the foster care system.
According to Politico, Smith had initially been unsure whether inviting the first lady to the bipartisan meeting was a good idea because “Democrats really don’t like her husband.” But Trump pressed ahead, having discussed a roundtable since President Donald Trump signed a “Fostering the Future” executive order in November.
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During the discussion, she highlighted that only 3 percent of children in foster care earn a college degree and described the legislation as a “moral imperative.”
Behind closed doors, Smith said, the first lady made her goal clear.
“I want this on Donald’s desk by the August recess,” she told lawmakers.
The bill faced little resistance in the House, where it passed unanimously. At a White House congressional picnic on the day of the vote, both the president and first lady urged the Senate to move swiftly.
“Hopefully, it will quickly pass in the Senate,” Trump said. “I’m sure it will. It’s a great thing.”
But the legislation has not moved out of committee, according to Politico, and the president has not publicly pressed the Senate on the measure since the picnic.
More than 400,000 children are in foster care across the U.S., according to federal data.
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The Daily Beast has contacted representatives for the first lady for comment.
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