Assistant Secretary for @ACFHHS | MAHA 🇺🇸
Joined December 2025
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Alex J. Adams retweeted
.@ACFHHS Assistant Secretary Alex J. Adams (@ACF_Adams) has championed policies that give vulnerable children and families the opportunity to flourish. National Angels mobilizes volunteers across the country to mentor and support foster youth and their families.
Join FREOPP on Nov. 18 in DC as we present them with our Frederick Douglass Award at Freedom & Progress 2026.
Learn more and register: freopp.org/event/freedom-pro…
ALT A person in a suit stands smiling next to the National Angels Community logo. The text reads: "Meet the leaders giving America's most vulnerable kids a chance to thrive." The word "FREEOPP" is at the bottom.
Alex J. Adams retweeted
Family First Prevention programs have helped more than 8,300 Kansas children stay with their families and avoid entering foster care. A new round of $20M in @DCFKansas Family First Prevention grants has been awarded to 10 provider agencies across the state.kake.com/home/dcf-announces-…
And @FLOTUS continues to do incredible work for foster youth. No one has catalyzed more concrete action in such a short period of time that will ripple for generations
Alex J. Adams retweeted
Melania Trump secures millions in scholarships for foster care students
foxnews.com/video/6408138725…
Alex J. Adams retweeted
This week, @ACF_Adams visited Vermont to celebrate the state's one-time $200,000 federal grant to bring in new technology to make fingerprinting easier for Vermonters seeking to become foster parents.
Vermont already has one of the best ratios of foster homes to children in need. This grant moves the state closer to achieving a 1:1 ratio.
We are making progress on all three of these goals but have a ways to go. I am thankful for the state partners that have helped create the momentum for us to be successful
When @ACF_Adams looks back on his time leading ACF, he hopes to see three lasting changes.
âś… A home for every child, with foster homes ready and waiting for kids who need them.
âś… An end to the orphan tax so foster youth can keep their Social Security survivor benefits.
âś… Less red tape so federal resources can reach the front lines.
More on Heritage Explains: youtube.com/watch?v=TiSaGsbS…
39 states have now stopped diverting survivor benefits! Grateful for North Carolina joining the right side of history. For the remaining 11 states, there’s never a wrong time to do the right thing.
Thanks to the leadership of @NC_Governor, North Carolina is the 39th state to end the “orphan tax.” Now, the state will preserve federal benefits for foster youth.
Just 11 more states to go!
Alex J. Adams retweeted
ASPE Report on the foster care initiative "A Home for Every Child": aspe.hhs.gov/reports/home-ev…
h/t @ACF_Adams, Cody Inman, Katie Allen, Marissa Abbott, Jill Spielfogel, Scott Baumgartner, Sonia Alves, Sarah Campbell, Leah Pranschke, and Jennifer Walzer
@HHSGov @ACFHHS
Alex J. Adams retweeted
FOSTERING THE FUTURE ACCOUNTS
Thanks to the leadership of @FLOTUS, foster youth now have access to Fostering the Future Accounts.
These accounts are a game changer for youth aging out of foster care and provide critical financial support for housing, education, or medical expenses. All foster youth have been enrolled in Fostering the Future Accounts, but now it is up to states to claim these accounts for the foster children in their state.
It’s time to elevate our expectations for states. No child should be waiting on a safe, loving home because a form sits on a bureaucrat’s desk
Faster, more reliable out-of-state child abuse and neglect registry checks can help expedite the licensing process for foster, kin, and adoptive families.
A new ACF policy brief explains the federal requirements and practical steps states can take to speed up the approval process while protecting children's safety.
Read more: acf.gov/cb/policy-guidance/b…
Alex J. Adams retweeted
The Administration for Children and Families may be the hottest thing happening at HHS right now. They’re cutting regulations, sussing out fraud, and admonishing state governments who have been literally stealing from orphans.
@ACF_Adams from @ACFHHS sat down with me this week to tell me all about it and what they’re planning to take on next.
Alex J. Adams retweeted
In recognition of American Pharmacists Month, HHS leaders @ADM_Christine , @ACF_Adams & RADM Kelly Battese joined @usphscc pharmacy officers to discuss pharmacy priorities, including the benefits of standard-of-care regulatory models that help expand access and improve health outcomes for the American people.
12 states to go.
Hawaii announced their commitment to preserving survivor benefits for foster youth.
Social Security survivor benefits can be a critical lifeline for children aging out of foster care, and often represent the last, or only, financial support a deceased parent can provide to their child.
“I applaud Governor Green for continually prioritizing the best interest of foster youth and encourage the remaining states who continue to steal from orphans to do right by these children who need our support and protection the most.”—@ACF_Adams
Learn more: humanservices.hawaii.gov/haw…
The best foster care system is the one not needed in the first place.
Alex J. Adams retweeted
Preserving Social Security survivor benefits for foster youth can provide them with a financial foundation that leads to better outcomes. Yet New York is one of a handful of states that continues to divert these earned benefits away from foster youth and instead use these funds to reimburse state child welfare costs.
On average, the “orphan tax” only accounts for 0.2% of a state’s child welfare budget. This is budget dust for a state, but resources that could make all the difference to a child aging out of foster care.
New York could end the “orphan tax” today.
@ACF_Adams joins @NY1 to explain.
Today, I’m proud to take @VP’s pledge to fight fraud.
At @ACFHHS, our responsibility is clear: protect taxpayer dollars and ensure benefits reach eligible children and families—not fraudsters.
We are working with the @WHFraudTF across all our programs and tightening the bolts on our regulations that the Biden administration had loosened.
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I am grateful to the @VP for his leadership and commitment to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse across our government. We are just getting started.
Alex J. Adams retweeted
@POTUS, @VP, @SecKennedy, @DrOzCMS, & @ACF_Adams have been strong partners in getting waste, fraud, and abuse out of our taxpayer-funded public assistance programs. They’ve been diligent in giving state governments like ours the tools we need to act.
So when I learned that due to a loophole left by Congress, cash welfare could be spent on things like alcohol, tobacco, porn, tattoos, psychic and fortune-telling services, and luxury watches, I signed an Executive Order to stop it. And with this prompt approval from our federal partners, Nebraska is one of the first states to end this waste.
The federal government has approved Nebraska’s request to bar temporary financial assistance for tobacco, tattoos, psychic readings, video games and other “inappropriate and nonessential purchases.” nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/10…
Alex J. Adams retweeted
Today, nearly 25% of states continue to divert earned Social Security survivor benefits from foster youth. Yet, every governor has the power to end the “orphan tax” practice today.
Watch as @ACF_Adams tells @NEWSMAX👇
A year ago today, I was sworn in by @SecKennedy as the Assistant Secretary for Family Support leading the Administration for Children and Families at @HHSGov.Â
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Thank you @POTUS for the opportunity to serve America’s children and families. In just 12 short months, ACF significantly improved the foster care system by delivering on @FLOTUS Fostering the Future executive order, expanded access to child care, reformed welfare programs, and reduced our agency’s administrative burden for grantees.Â
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And the work has just begun!
