Sheila Jackson Lee: “It is very meaningful that we are holding this special order today in honor of the First Focus Children's 4th Annual…”

“It is very meaningful that we are holding this special order today in honor of the First Focus Children's 4th Annual Children's Week. I would like to thank Congresswoman Sara Jacobs for leading today's effort, which serves as a reminder that we must always be mindful of the needs of our nation's children in all our efforts. As a mother and grandmother, I am intimately invested in First Focus Children's invaluable work to bring awareness and attention to the needs of our nation's children, and I applaud recognition provided by the 4th annual Children's Week. This week, we celebrate the successes made in the fight to improve the lives of children across the country and lament the many heavy burdens still weighing on the shoulders of our youth. I have been fighting on Capitol Hill for the rights and needs of children and families for over 25 years. Why are we still fighting for so many of the same things we were fighting for in 1995? Why in one of the richest countries in the world are children still going to bed hungry? Why are families begging for affordable childcare? Why are mothers and fathers choosing between making rent and keeping the lights on? I speak to you today with a heart full of grief, anger, and still unrelenting hope. Hope, because what are our children if not the promise of a better tomorrow--if we can only be watchful stewards of today?…”