{"id":6896,"date":"2026-07-15T19:07:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:07:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6896"},"modified":"2026-07-15T19:07:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T14:07:14","slug":"exclusive-trump-admin-signs-up-30th-state-to-eradicateorphan-tax-on-foster-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=6896","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Trump admin signs up 30th state to eradicate\u2018orphan tax\u2019 on foster kids &#8211;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<p>The Trump administration has persuaded a 30th state to stop using the \u201corphan tax\u201d after Melania Trump pushed a program that helps set up <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/06\/11\/us-news\/melania-trump-unveils-fostering-the-future-accounts-as-part-of-foster-care-initiative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">children in the foster care system for success later in life<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>New York, however, is one of 20 states that continue the practice of taking a foster child\u2019s Social Security survivor or disability benefits to reimburse themselves for the cost of the child\u2019s care, leaving them penniless when they age out of the system.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Those funds, which can add up to thousands of dollars, could be the difference between success and poverty for children when they go out into the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39988429\"><br \/>\n\t<default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><default:path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/default:svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.49926794;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"39988429\" width=\"885\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Melania Trump speaks at a podium with the seal of the Department of the Treasury.\" class=\"wp-image-39988429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 3744w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=300,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=60,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 60w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=105,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 105w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=81,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 81w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=200,133&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=231,154&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=322,215&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=662,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 662w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=90,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 90w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=120,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 120w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=1200,800&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=1038,692&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1038w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=87,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/u-s-first-lady-melania-134465140.jpg?resize=50,33&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px\"\/><figcaption>Melania Trump\u2019s Fostering the Future program has helped ease the \u201corphan tax\u201d <span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Alex Admas, the assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), told The Post that survivor benefits mean \u201cthe difference between success or not.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a down payment on a house. It\u2019s years of apartment rent. It\u2019s higher education. It meant so much to those kids and so little to the state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>When a parent dies after having worked and paid into Social Security, their child is entitled to a monthly survivor benefit. But for those orphans who end up in foster care, many states intercept those funds, in what\u2019s been dubbed the \u201corphan tax.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Critics call the practice \u201cdouble billing,\u201d as state and federal law already require the state to pay for foster care. States have taken $179 million from foster kids\u2019 Social Security in a single year, the<a href=\"https:\/\/theorphantax.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-nyp-affiliate=\"true\"> End the Orphan Tax group estimates<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Survivor benefits usually average about $1,100 per month \u2013 money that can add up to help foster children jump-start their education or have safe housing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf a child\u2019s in foster care for two or three years, you can see that it adds up to some real resources for them,\u201d Admas noted.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration has been urging states to end the practice. On Wednesday, Oklahoma became the latest state to disavow the tax.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery child deserves the opportunity to pursue the American Dream and build a brighter future, regardless of the circumstances they were born into,\u201d said Oklahoma Gov. J. Kevin Stitt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Of the 20 states holding out, some have expressed interest in ending the tax and the ACF, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, anticipates seeing the list shrink further in the coming months. A simple executive order from a governor can stop the practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThirty states have chosen fairness over bureaucracy by protecting the Social Security survivor benefits that belong to foster children, and I commend their leadership,\u201d said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a parent dies, those benefits are meant to help their child \u2014 not reimburse the government. Every state should protect these children instead of taking what their families earned, and HHS will keep pressing until they do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Gov. Kathy Hochul\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment on why New York still uses the tax.<\/p>\n<p>New York City, however, does ensure orphans receive their survivor benefits. In 2021, the city decided that those benefits should be given to orphans when they leave foster care and opened bank accounts for those children.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><button class=\"button button--modal-trigger\" aria-label=\"Open the image in a modal.\" data-modal-image=\"39988445\"><br \/>\n\t<default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-plus\" fill=\"#fff\" viewbox=\"0 0 1033 1000\" width=\"1em\" height=\"1em\"><default:path d=\"M380 364V0h273v355h380v290H653v355H380V645H0V355h380v9z\"\/><\/default:svg><br \/>\n<\/button><br \/>\n<img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.49926794;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"39988445\" width=\"885\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Two children holding an American flag at sunset.\" class=\"wp-image-39988445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 4765w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=300,200&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 300w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=768,512&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 768w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=1024,683&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=1536,1024&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=2048,1365&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=600,400&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 600w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=878,585&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 878w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=744,496&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 744w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=720,480&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 720w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=576,384&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 576w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=457,305&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 457w, 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https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=195,130&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 195w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=180,120&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 180w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=171,114&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 171w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=160,107&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 160w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=144,96&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 144w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=107,71&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 107w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=93,62&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 93w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=84,56&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 84w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=60,40&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 60w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=105,70&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 105w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=81,54&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 81w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=200,133&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=231,154&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 231w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=322,215&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 322w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=661,441&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 661w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=90,60&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 90w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=120,80&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 120w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=1200,800&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1200w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=1038,692&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 1038w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=87,58&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 87w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/happy-family-dad-daughter-holding-134465707.jpg?resize=50,33&amp;quality=75&amp;strip=all 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 885px) 100vw, 885px\"\/><figcaption>New York is one of 20 states that takes a child\u2019s survivor benefits <span class=\"credit\">puhimec \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Many states disavowed the tax after Melania Trump arranged for <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/06\/11\/us-news\/melania-trump-unveils-fostering-the-future-accounts-as-part-of-foster-care-initiative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">children in foster care to be part of the Trump Savings Accounts<\/a> in a program called Fostering the Future Accounts.<\/p>\n<p>Admas said the first lady\u2019s work \u201cturbocharged\u201d their efforts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve seen just a flurry of activity of states both pledging to create accounts for their foster youth, and then simultaneously pledge that they will end the orphan tax and place survivors\u2019 benefits in those accounts,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo certainly, if you think about younger children, those could be investment vehicles that could grow to some real resources when those kids turn 18.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nearly every child who goes into foster care is impoverished and almost all leave foster care broke.<\/p>\n<p>Nearly 65% of youth who age out of the system experience poverty by age 23, The Imprint found.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump accounts also eased the worry of some state officials, who were concerned about how 18-year-olds may spend large sums of money suddenly handed to them.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Fostering the Future Accounts, in this case, are very elegant solutions because it operates where it\u2019s not necessarily a checking account for day-to-day expenses,\u201d Admas noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s for those major life milestones: education, down payment on house, retirement. So it can provide some of that protection to ensure that when youth turn 18, they\u2019re set up on a pathway towards financial independence.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The first lady has said <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/15\/us-news\/melania-trump-lobbies-congress-for-more-resources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">helping children in foster care<\/a> is a \u201cmoral imperative\u201d for the nation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Trump administration has persuaded a 30th state to stop using the \u201corphan tax\u201d after Melania Trump pushed a program that helps set up children in the foster care system for success later in life. New York, however, is one of 20 states that continue the practice of taking a foster child\u2019s Social Security survivor&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/07\/crop-39988429_f192e4.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1200","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6896"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6896\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}