Gwen Moore: “I will start by welcoming all of our new Members to the 119th Congress and to this esteemed Chamber. I look forward to…”

“I will start by welcoming all of our new Members to the 119th Congress and to this esteemed Chamber. I look forward to finding a way that we can work together to better our country. I am introducing myself as one of the proud co-chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. I am here to tell you that protecting our kids is not a partisan issue. I am inviting you to join us in protecting our most valuable asset in this country, our future workforce, our children. In any given year, there are 390,000 children and youth who experience foster care in the United States. Foster care impacts every congressional district across the country, regardless of whether it is red or blue or urban or rural. Our Members come from all over the country and have vastly different backgrounds and experiences. However, we all share one thing in common, and that is the commitment to finding solutions that aim to improve the lives of children in care. Last Congress, we made great strides in child welfare policy by working across the aisle to deliver real results for children and families. In July last year, the Supporting America's Children and Families Act passed unanimously through the Ways and Means Committee. In September, it passed this House by a vote of 405-10. This bill provided the first major increase in child welfare funding in almost 20 years and reauthorized title IV-B funding for another 5 years.…”