I think it is a national scandal, the security issues you've talked about and the idea that so many of our people wait in these lines only to be told they ought to go somewhere else.

Pretty much any group out there that is advocating for the children says you should not place foster kids in detention facilities.

I need to be clear that your nomination is not going forward with my support unless there is a commitment from the Department to get this done and a timeline to do it.

Family First is a revolution in child welfare development.

In order to evaluate whether our foster care programs are succeeding at protecting our most vulnerable youth and giving them a chance to get ahead, the Federal Government needs key information from States, which run each individual program.

In particular, we are seeing babies who are born opioid-dependent.

We also are very concerned in our part of the world about eliminating the National Energy Technology Lab in Albany which, I think, is doing singularly good work.

If confirmed, I will faithfully execute the laws as passed by Congress.

Since child welfare would be under Mrs. Johnson's purview at HHS, I want to start my remarks with some major concerns I have over the Trump administration blocking key rules meant to help foster kids.

I think it is fair to say this is one of the biggest developments in child welfare reform in over 2 decades.

My view is, as I told you in the office, this is indefensible.

Federal law, in my view, as I said, is completely clear: you should not place foster kids in detention facilities.

Everybody wants foster kids to be safe and well cared for.

Perhaps we could even get you to Rhode Island to visit Women and Infants Hospital to see their program.

I am not going to let this quietly pass in the night. It is too important to vulnerable children.

The President's budget is a policy document intended to express the administration's position on programs that have a budgetary impact.

in a few minutes the Senate will vote on the nomination of Mr. Kevin McAleenan to serve as Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. As the ranking Democrat on the committee with jurisdiction over trade policy, I am particularly…

If somebody had said in the winter of 2017 that this committee would produce a 10-year reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program... in a polarized climate like this, in a bipartisan way, I think they would have been seen…

We have seen billions of dollars go into this. You have now got the project director saying that there is a potentially devastating safety issue, and he has just been transferred after reporting this.

I told the Bush Administration, George W. Bush, his folks, that Bonneville was not going to get sold off on my watch and it is not going to get sold off now either.

I need follow-up. We need to have this done promptly and if it's not, then we will have to go the route of the Inspector General.

I hope members will support what Senator Heinrich and I are calling for with respect to declassification.

I would also like to acknowledge the dedication of key congressional staffers, including those at the Congressional Research Service, the Congressional Budget Office, and with House and Senate legislative counsel's office. These staffers…

this new law has the power to better the lives of hundreds of thousands of children and their families. It will for the first time allow States to invest Federal foster care dollars in evidence-based services, like substance use treatment…

first of all, I wish to commend my Pacific Northwest colleague Senator Murray for taking this time to talk about these exceptionally important issues. I had a chance to listen to the thoughtful remarks of our friend from New…