President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at shielding faith-based foster care and adoption agencies from discrimination by state governments that mandate participation in LGBT placements. The order, signed on November 14, 2025, directs the Department of Health and Human Services to withhold federal funding from any state that penalizes religious providers for operating according to their sincerely held beliefs that marriage is between one man and one woman and that gender is determined at birth.
The measure directly counters policies in several Democrat-led states that have forced Christian agencies to either place children with same-sex couples and transgender individuals or shut down. Since 2018, at least eleven faith-based providers have been driven out of business in states including Illinois, Massachusetts, California, and Pennsylvania after refusing to violate their religious convictions on marriage and sexuality.
Trump announced the order during a White House ceremony flanked by religious leaders and former foster children, declaring, “No American should be forced to choose between their faith and serving vulnerable children.” The action fulfills a 2024 campaign promise to reverse anti-religious bigotry embedded in Biden-era interpretations of federal nondiscrimination rules.
The Alliance Defending Freedom and Family Research Council praised the move as a major victory for religious liberty and child welfare, arguing that faith-based agencies historically place more children—especially hard-to-place older kids and sibling groups—than their secular counterparts.
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