March 4, 2026
Mr. Moran (for himself and Mr. Van Orden) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce
To establish the White House Council on Fathers and Sons, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the White House Council on Fathers and Sons Act of 2026
.
Sec. 2. Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
Since the 1970s, men have received fewer college degrees than women.
(2)
The wages of most men are lower today than they were in 1979, while women’s wages have risen.
(3)
One out of 5 fathers does not live with his children.
(4)
Men have a 3 to 4 times greater risk of dying from suicide or an overdose compared to women.
(5)
Gendered policies have resulted in the minimization of the importance of the role of fathers in the institution of the family.
(6)
Sons raised without fathers are 4 times as likely to experience poverty and twice as likely to spend time in prison by age 30, and the number of sons raised without fathers who are neither employed nor in school has tripled in the past 5 years.
(7)
The Executive Office of the President is in a unique position to—
(A)
endorse efforts to address problems facing fathers and sons;
(B)
spread awareness of such problems; and
(C)
ensure that Federal agencies address such problems through a whole of government
response.
Sec. 3. Statement of policy
It is the policy of Congress that the head of each Federal agency should seek to develop programs and initiatives that—
(1)
promote the roles of fathers and sons in families in the United States;
(2)
combat the rise in deaths of despair among fathers and sons; and
(3)
promote the biological differences between men and women.
Sec. 4. White House Council on Fathers and Sons
(a) Establishment
There is established within the Executive Office of the President the White House Council on Fathers and Sons (in this section referred to as the Council
).
(b) Duties
(1) In general
The Council shall—
(A)
promote the roles of fathers and sons in families in the United States;
(B)
combat the rise in deaths of despair among fathers and sons;
(C)
foster mental, physical, spiritual, and economic prosperity for sons as they transition into manhood;
(D)
facilitate a coordinated Federal response to problems of special importance to fathers and sons, including by reviewing and recommending changes to Federal programs and policies to ensure that such programs and policies adequately address problems of special importance to—
(i)
men generally;
(ii)
boys; and
(iii)
men in the Federal workforce;
(E)
report to the President on the effects that measures or matters reported by, or discharged from, a committee of either House of Congress will have on fathers and sons; and
(F)
assist the President and Federal agencies in the development of legislation and policy proposals of special importance to fathers and sons.
(2) Report
Not later than 150 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and periodically thereafter as the Council determines appropriate, the Council shall submit to the President a report containing—
(A)
a review of the programs of special importance to fathers and sons administered by the head of each agency having a representative on the Council; and
(B)
plans for the future work of the Council.
(c) Consultation
In carrying out the duties described in subsection (b)(1), the Council shall consult with—
(1)
Federal agencies (as defined in section 551 of title 5, United States Code, but excluding agencies described in paragraph (1)(B) of such section);
(2)
nonprofit organizations, including faith institutions;
(3)
State and local governments; and
(4)
other persons and entities as the Council determines appropriate.
(d) Membership
The Council shall be composed of—
(1)
the Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs;
(2)
the Secretary of State;
(3)
the Secretary of the Treasury;
(4)
the Secretary of Defense;
(5)
the Attorney General;
(6)
the Secretary of the Interior;
(7)
the Secretary of Agriculture;
(8)
the Secretary of Commerce;
(9)
the Secretary of Labor;
(10)
the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
(11)
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(12)
the Secretary of Transportation;
(13)
the Secretary of Energy;
(14)
the Secretary of Education;
(15)
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
(16)
the Secretary of Homeland Security;
(17)
the United States Ambassador to the United Nations;
(18)
the United States Trade Representative;
(19)
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;
(20)
the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;
(21)
the Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers;
(22)
the Director of the Office of Personnel Management;
(23)
the Administrator of the Small Business Administration;
(24)
the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and Director of the Domestic Policy Council;
(25)
the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council;
(26)
the Senior Advisor to the White House Faith Office;
(27)
the heads of such other Federal agencies as the President may designate; and
(28)
such representatives of the faith community as the President may designate.
(e) Chairperson
The Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs shall be the Chairperson of the Council and shall be responsible for—
(1)
convening regular meetings of the Council; and
(2)
establishing such subcommittees of the Council as the Chairperson determines appropriate.
(f) Director
The Council shall have a Director, who shall—
(1)
be appointed by the Chairperson; and
(2)
be responsible for hiring and managing such personnel as the Director determines appropriate.
(g) Funding
(1) In general
This section shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Health and Human Services.
(2) Agencies to bear own expenses
Each Federal department and agency represented on the Council shall bear its own expense for such participation.