Roy Blunt: “I wish to spend a few moments talking about National Adoption Month. I thank the Senator from Maryland and my colleagues…”

“I wish to spend a few moments talking about National Adoption Month. I thank the Senator from Maryland and my colleagues for letting me talk for a few minutes about an issue that I think every single Member of the Senate cares about. The month of November is National Adoption Month. It gives us the opportunity to recognize the recent celebration of National Adoption Day, which was November 19. As cochair of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, I have had the opportunity to work with so many of our Members and understand the broad bipartisan support for what we need to do to be looking at and more dedicated to adoption and to child welfare issues. Last year, Senator Klobuchar and I came to this new role as the Senate's cochairmen of this caucus. I am pleased to be working with her on a resolution that would support National Adoption Month and National Adoption Day again this year. We also have the good fortune to work with Members of the House. The idea that every child deserves to grow up in a loving, safe family is something I think we can all agree on. We have a lot of agreement, while we have been working with Members of the Congress, on adoption issues over the last year. Just last week, Senator Klobuchar, Congressman Trent Franks, Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence, and others, along with me, finalized a comment letter to the U.S. Department of State expressing concern over new international adoption regulations.…”