Congressman David Schweikert attended the signing of the Fostering the Future executive order at the White House on Nov. 13. The order is designed to strengthen foster care and help young people transition to adulthood with more support.
The initiative is significant because it directs the Department of Health and Human Services to review and modernize child welfare policies, as well as update state information systems for tracking safety and outcomes. These updates are intended to provide caseworkers with better tools and enable states to respond more effectively to children’s needs.
A national Fostering the Future initiative will be created under this order, connecting foster youth with education programs, career training, and housing assistance. The plan also includes developing a new online platform that brings together federal and state resources so that young people leaving foster care can find guidance for building independent lives.
Additionally, the executive order calls for increased flexibility in education vouchers and encourages partnerships between states and organizations supporting children in crisis, including faith-based groups. “Foster youth deserve stability, opportunity, and a clear path forward,” said Schweikert. “This order takes important steps to help young people build strong and independent lives.”
Schweikert has represented Arizona’s 1st district in Congress since 2011 after replacing Harry Mitchell according to Ballotpedia. He previously served in the Arizona House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995 according to Ballotpedia. In recent elections, he defeated Amish Shah in 2024 by receiving about 51.9% of votes as reported by Arizona election results, following a narrow win over Jevin Hodge in 2022 as reported by Arizona election results.
Schweikert was born in Los Angeles in 1962 but now resides in Fountain Hills according to Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. He graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1988 before earning another degree there in 2005 according to Congress.gov.
