[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7800 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7800
To establish the White House Council on Fathers and Sons, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the White House Council on Fathers and Sons, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
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.
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