Trump Administration Appoints Adam Norman as Commissioner of Federal Child Support Enforcement Office

Trump Administration Names Adam Norman to Lead Federal Child Support Enforcement Office

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has appointed Adam Norman as Commissioner of the Office of Child Support Enforcement within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Norman assumed the role on April 4, 2026, taking charge of the federal office that oversees child support programs in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories.

The appointment comes as the administration rebranded the agency from the Office of Child Support Services back to the Office of Child Support Enforcement, a name change that signals a shift in federal priorities toward stricter enforcement of child support obligations.

Norman now oversees a federal office responsible for administering Title IV-D of the Social Security Act, the legal framework governing the nation's child support enforcement system. The office distributes federal matching funds to state programs, conducts compliance reviews, and sets policy standards that all state child support agencies must follow.

Michigan's child support enforcement program, which operates through 75 Friend of the Court offices statewide, receives approximately 300 million dollars annually in federal Title IV-D funding. The state's program is among the largest in the country, serving hundreds of thousands of families across every county.

Norman's appointment places him in a position to influence how states handle enforcement, compliance, and accountability within their child support systems. As Commissioner, he has the authority to initiate federal reviews of state programs, approve or deny state plan amendments, and recommend penalties for states found to be out of compliance with federal requirements.

The Office of Child Support Enforcement operates under the Administration for Children and Families, a division of HHS. The office works closely with ACF regional administrators, including the Region 5 office in Chicago, which has direct oversight of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Norman's deputy is Linda Boyer, who previously served in leadership roles at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services before joining the federal office. Boyer's familiarity with Michigan's child support system adds a direct connection between the federal office and one of its largest state programs.

The appointment has drawn attention from child support reform advocates and state court administrators who will be watching to see how Norman approaches ongoing questions about enforcement practices, complaint procedures, and the balance between punitive measures and income-based approaches to child support collection.