Political Quotes

“On Friday, May 3, I attended the visitation of 5-year-old Andrew ``AJ'' Freund. His mother and father are awaiting trial for his murder. Our community is in mourning. AJ's death is heartbreaking, and so is the system that failed him. But one key part of the foster care system is stretched beyond capacity. In the county where AJ lived, 40 percent of children must leave the county to be placed in foster homes, which can have adverse impacts. The need for foster care in Illinois grew by 20 percent between 2017 and 2018, while the number of foster homes is decreasing at the fastest rate in the country. Local agencies are reviewing the policies surrounding AJ's death, but Congress must act as well. Here are two things that I am doing and that our colleagues can do as well to prevent another tragedy like AJ. First, join me as a member of the Congressional Foster Youth Caucus to support people to become foster parents and to place children into stable homes. Second, seek data-informed solutions. This week, I championed a bipartisan amendment to the Child Abuse and Treatment Act, CAPTA, to study the effect of parental substance use disorders on children removed from a family. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting foster youth and families across this country. We must all work to ensure tragedies like AJ's death never happen again. ____________________”