Political Quotes

“Madam President, this month I join Senator Grassley of Iowa and a bipartisan group of my colleagues to recognize May as National Foster Care Month. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the millions of foster parents and children in foster care around the country. More importantly, it is a call to action. We simply leave too many children behind. Poverty should never be the reason children are separated from their parents. There is no dignity in removing children from their mothers or fathers because they don't have adequate housing or affordable childcare or jobs that allow them to take time off when their children get sick. Right now, child welfare agencies are overwhelmed by the number of children who enter the system, and the addiction crisis just makes it worse. In Ohio, parents' substance abuse is listed as one of the causes for one-third of all children who enter the system. Children who are already in the system stay there longer, especially teenagers. We have to do better than that. Last year, we passed and the President signed the bipartisan Family First Prevention Services Act, which is an important first step. It has the potential to change our child welfare system over time. Yet the changes the Family First Prevention Services Act requires ultimately have to be made at the State level. We have to make sure that States have the support they need and that they actually do what the law requires.…”