[Senate Hearing 117-762]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]





                                                        S. Hrg. 117-762 
 
                 NOMINATIONS OF ROBERT MICHAEL GORDON, 
                         JANUARY CONTRERAS, AND 
                        REBECCA E. JONES GASTON 

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               before the

                          COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
                          UNITED STATES SENATE

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             SECOND SESSION

                                 on the

                             NOMINATIONS OF

    ROBERT MICHAEL GORDON, TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL 
RESOURCES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; JANUARY CONTRERAS, 
  TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF 
     HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; AND REBECCA E. JONES GASTON, TO BE 
    COMMISSIONER, ADMINISTRATION ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES, 
                DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES



                               __________

                            FEBRUARY 9, 2022

                               __________




[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]




                                     
                                     

            Printed for the use of the Committee on Finance

                             _________
                              
                 U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
                 
53-943-PDF              WASHINGTON : 2023  



















                          COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

                      RON WYDEN, Oregon, Chairman

DEBBIE STABENOW, Michigan            MIKE CRAPO, Idaho
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington           CHUCK GRASSLEY, Iowa
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey          JOHN CORNYN, Texas
THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware           JOHN THUNE, South Dakota
BENJAMIN L. CARDIN, Maryland         RICHARD BURR, North Carolina
SHERROD BROWN, Ohio                  ROB PORTMAN, Ohio
MICHAEL F. BENNET, Colorado          PATRICK J. TOOMEY, Pennsylvania
ROBERT P. CASEY, Jr., Pennsylvania   TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
MARK R. WARNER, Virginia             BILL CASSIDY, Louisiana
SHELDON WHITEHOUSE, Rhode Island     JAMES LANKFORD, Oklahoma
MAGGIE HASSAN, New Hampshire         STEVE DAINES, Montana
CATHERINE CORTEZ MASTO, Nevada       TODD YOUNG, Indiana
ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts      BEN SASSE, Nebraska
                                     JOHN BARRASSO, Wyoming

                    Joshua Sheinkman, Staff Director

                Gregg Richard, Republican Staff Director

                                  (II)




















                            C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              

                           OPENING STATEMENTS

                                                                   Page
Wyden, Hon. Ron, a U.S. Senator from Oregon, chairman, Committee 
  on Finance.....................................................     1
Crapo, Hon. Mike, a U.S. Senator from Idaho......................     3

                        ADMINISTRATION NOMINEES

Gordon, Robert Michael, nominated to be Assistant Secretary for 
  Financial Resources, Department of Health and Human Services, 
  Washington, DC.................................................     3
Contreras, January, nominated to be Assistant Secretary for 
  Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services, 
  Washington, DC.................................................     5
Jones Gaston, Rebecca E., nominated to be Commissioner, 
  Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, Department of 
  Health and Human Services, Washington, DC......................     7

               ALPHABETICAL LISTING AND APPENDIX MATERIAL

Contreras, January:
    Testimony....................................................     5
    Prepared statement...........................................    31
    Biographical information.....................................    32
    Responses to questions from committee members................    40
Crapo, Hon. Mike:
    Opening statement............................................     3
    Prepared statement...........................................    50
Gordon, Robert Michael:
    Testimony....................................................     3
    Prepared statement...........................................    51
    Biographical information.....................................    52
    Responses to questions from committee members................    64
Jones Gaston, Rebecca E.:
    Testimony....................................................     7
    Prepared statement...........................................    71
    Biographical information.....................................    72
    Responses to questions from committee members................    78
Wyden, Hon. Ron:
    Opening statement............................................     1
    Prepared statement with attachments..........................    87

                                 (III)





                     NOMINATIONS OF ROBERT MICHAEL 
                 GORDON, TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR 
                   FINANCIAL RESOURCES, DEPARTMENT OF 
                   HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; JANUARY 
                  CONTRERAS, TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY 
                 FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT 
                   OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; AND 
                     REBECCA E. JONES GASTON, TO BE 
                    COMMISSIONER, ADMINISTRATION ON 
                     CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES, 
                          DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH 
                           AND HUMAN SERVICES 

                              ----------                              


                      WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2022

                                       U.S. Senate,
                                      Committee on Finance,
                                                    Washington, DC.
    The hearing was convened, pursuant to notice, at 10 a.m., 
via Webex, in Room SD-215, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. 
Ron Wyden (chairman of the committee) presiding.
    Present: Senators Cantwell, Brown, Bennet, Casey, 
Whitehouse, Hassan, Cortez Masto, Warren, Crapo, Grassley, 
Thune, and Lankford.
    Also present: Democratic staff: Michael Evans, Deputy Staff 
Director and Chief Counsel; and Ian Nicholson, Investigator and 
Nominations Advisor. Republican staff: Lincoln Foran, Policy 
Advisor; Kellie McConnell, Health Policy Director; and Gregg 
Richard, Staff Director.

   OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. RON WYDEN, A U.S. SENATOR FROM 
             OREGON, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

    The Chairman. This morning the Finance Committee meets to 
discuss three nominations for important roles in the Biden 
administration. First, January Contreras is President Biden's 
nominee to serve as Health and Human Services Assistant 
Secretary for Children and Families. This role is all about 
overseeing programs that deal with caring for some of the most 
vulnerable people in our country--particularly the young. And I 
just want to take a moment--we are going to put my full 
statement into the record--and say how pleased I am to have two 
witnesses who are going to particularly focus on Family First.
    Senator Crapo and I, working with Senator Hatch, really 
felt that was historic legislation. You know, the country was 
essentially, prior to the bill, faced with two choices. We 
would have a kid in a foster home--some good, some not so 
good--or we would have a kid at home in a situation that just 
was not acceptable, was not good for the child. You might have 
a parent with some alcohol challenges, drugs--you name it. And 
what Family First was all about was creating a third option, a 
third option that would really be good for kids, which is why 
it was called Family First.
    So, Senator Crapo and I have had a chance to be in public 
service a bit. This is one of the most historic bipartisan 
efforts I have been part of. So we are really looking forward 
to the two of you who are going to work in those precincts to 
do a good job in this country.
    January Contreras has championed the safety and well-being 
of women, children, and families. She has led Arizona Legal 
Women and Youth Services. I note that we have kind of almost a 
shared DNA around legal aid. I ran the legal aid program for 
the elderly.
    So I am very glad that you, and then of course Ms. Jones 
Gaston--we claim her as one of ours because we brought her out 
west, and she has been doing great stuff with us in Oregon. She 
is uniquely qualified. Both of you, in my view, give public 
service a good name. And we are really looking forward to 
hearing from you this morning. And before she came west, Ms. 
Jones Gaston served as the Executive Director of the Maryland 
Social Services Administration. What I really liked about my 
conversation with Ms. Jones Gaston was she was pure passion in 
terms of getting Family First spread from sea to shining sea.
    I think you told me, Ms. Jones Gaston, in our discussion, 
we are at 14 States I think right now, but a lot of the rest of 
them are moving very quickly, and that is good.
    Mr. Gordon is President Biden's nominee to serve as HHS 
Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources. He has worn a lot 
of hats during his time in public service. He served as 
Director of the Department of Health and Human Services for the 
State of Michigan, and played a key role in the pandemic 
response there. He supervised thousands of people with a budget 
of $27 billion. He previously worked at the U.S. Department of 
Education and the Office of Management and Budget.
    He also was a senior official at the New York City 
Department of Education, a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader 
Ginsburg, and a White House aide. He is a highly experienced 
public servant in all respects. And when you are working on 
finances at HHS, the core of your job, of course, is upholding 
what, around here, we like to call the guarantee of Medicare. 
Medicare is not a piece of paper. It is not a slip. It is not 
some kind of voucher or arrangement. It is a guarantee. And we 
are very proud around here that we updated the guarantee--
again, as Senator Crapo and I talk about--in a bipartisan way 
with the CHRONIC Care bill, which recognized that Medicare 
today is no longer primarily about acute care. It is primarily 
about chronic disease: cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. So 
you can expect that we will be very interested in your views on 
that.
    As always, Senator Crapo and I work on these matters in a 
bipartisan way, and I recognize my colleague.
    [The prepared statement of Chairman Wyden appears in the 
appendix.]

             OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MIKE CRAPO, 
                   A U.S. SENATOR FROM IDAHO

    Senator Crapo. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
    Today's nominees will have significant responsibilities 
overseeing programs that affect some of the most vulnerable 
populations in America. As Assistant Secretary for Financial 
Resources, Mr. Gordon would have a critical role in stewarding 
resources across the breadth of the HHS's programs. I look 
forward to hearing his views on how HHS can improve its service 
delivery to provide more effective care in programs that affect 
nearly every American.
    If confirmed, Ms. Contreras and Ms. Jones Gaston would 
oversee programs that protect and support children and youth. I 
am eager to hear how these nominees propose improving service 
delivery toward these particularly at-risk groups.
    I urge all the nominees to be forthcoming in this 
discussion, and in all questions for the record; and, should 
they be confirmed, in the roles to which they have been 
nominated as they move forward.
    Congress is a critical partner to the work of the 
Department of Health and Human Services, and the programs you 
will oversee are of unique importance. Working in a bipartisan 
way with the members of the Finance Committee, we have the 
opportunity to evaluate and implement policies that better 
serve the American people.
    Once again, I congratulate the nominees here today and look 
forward to our discussion.
    [The prepared statement of Senator Crapo appears in the 
appendix.]
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Crapo.
    Now we will have some opening statements from each of you, 
and then we have a set of formalities that we have to go 
through with respect to some questions.
    Mr. Gordon, why don't you go ahead?

 STATEMENT OF ROBERT MICHAEL GORDON, NOMINATED TO BE ASSISTANT 
  SECRETARY FOR FINANCIAL RESOURCES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 
                 HUMAN SERVICES, WASHINGTON, DC

    Mr. Gordon. Thank you, Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member 
Crapo, members of the committee. Thank you for considering my 
nomination to be the Assistant Secretary for Financial 
Resources at the Department of Health and Human Services. I am 
honored by President Biden's decision to nominate me, and if 
confirmed, I look forward to serving under the leadership of 
Secretary Becerra.
    Before beginning, I would like to thank my family for their 
love and support. Here with me today are my wife Catherine and 
older son Silas.
    Government funding decisions each day make an enormous 
difference to millions of Americans in every corner of the 
country. For all of our sakes, government must run as 
effectively and efficiently as possible. If confirmed, I will 
use data, evidence, and evaluation to deliver results, 
strengthen program integrity and transparency, and advance 
equity. This has been the work of my career across 3 decades in 
the Federal, State, and local governments, in leadership roles 
handling health and human services, and in managing budget and 
finance matters.
    For more than 4 years, I served as a senior official at the 
U.S. Office of Management and Budget, including as Acting 
Deputy Director. At OMB I played a key role in launching 
evidence-based initiatives at four agencies. One of these was 
HHS's Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting 
program, which now funds 19 service delivery models supported 
by solid evidence. Together with HHS leadership, including the 
official in the role for which I am nominated, I also worked on 
developing the Head Start recompetition and improving programs 
for the aging.
    In this period, I also helped to negotiate bipartisan 
budget agreements to keep the government open and the country 
from defaulting on its debts. And I had particular 
responsibility for program integrity investments to reduce 
waste, fraud, and abuse.
    The private and nonprofit sectors offer important lessons 
for government. After leaving OMB and becoming the senior vice 
president of finance and global strategy for the College Board, 
I worked as part of a team to reform procurement processes, cut 
costs, and drive technology changes that improved services for 
schools and students alike.
    That experience informed my work as the Director of the 
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, an agency 
with 14,000 employees and a $27-billion budget. With 
extraordinary colleagues, we responded to COVID effectively; 
expanded access to health coverage; drove improvements in child 
welfare programs, including an implementation of Family First; 
increased use of effective approaches to mental health and 
substance use disorders; and cut technology costs while 
improving customer service.
    One of my happiest accomplishments in Michigan was ending 
severe delays in the delivery of Medicaid and SNAP benefits. 
When I arrived, the State had just rolled out a flawed new 
system which meant that more than 30 percent of Michiganders in 
some rural counties were not receiving needed help within the 
legally required 30 days.
    Legislators in both parties were angry, and rightly so. In 
partnership with extraordinary colleagues, we listened to 
front-line staff, improved technology, shifted work patterns, 
and held ourselves accountable with a public dashboard showing 
our results each week. Within a few months, rural counties were 
performing as well as others, and we went on to simplify and 
improve the delivery of benefits in ways that earned national 
praise.
    Should I be confirmed, I would apply the same performance 
focus at HHS. The work of HHS has never been more important. 
And it has never been more personal for me. Among more than 
900,000 Americans who have died from COVID was my father, Alan 
Gordon, a psychiatrist who spent decades working on behalf of 
homeless individuals and ex-offenders. He taught me to believe 
in the dignity of every person, and the honor of public 
service.
    I would be honored to play my part, as HHS's Chief 
Financial Officer, in sustaining a robust COVID response, and 
in strengthening so many vital HHS programs, from cancer 
research to the Indian Health Service, and of course, to 
Medicare. Should I be confirmed, I would work with President 
Biden, Secretary Becerra, and members of Congress to fund 
Health and Human Services programs that work.
    Thanks again for considering my nomination. I look forward 
to your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Mr. Gordon appears in the 
appendix.]
    The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Gordon. And we always feel, as 
we reflect on COVID, it just comes back to people, and 
families, and all those people whom we miss so much. So, just 
know our sympathies are with you. And I am sure that it is 
reflected in your determination to do this job well, and we 
want you to know that we sympathize.
    Okay. I also want to say that Senator Stabenow very much 
wishes she could be here. She has an important Agriculture 
Committee hearing that she is chairing, but she wanted me 
particularly to convey a strong, warm welcome to Mr. Gordon. 
She had the opportunity to work with Mr. Gordon during his time 
as the Director of the Michigan Department of Human Services, 
including on expansion of the Certified Community Behavioral 
Health Clinics program in the State, and we think Senator 
Stabenow's work on that has really been a historic big 
breakthrough. So, Senator Stabenow wants the record to reflect 
that she very much appreciates your work and looks forward to 
working with you at the Department.
    Ms. Contreras, please.

   STATEMENT OF JANUARY CONTRERAS, NOMINATED TO BE ASSISTANT 
 SECRETARY FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 
                 HUMAN SERVICES, WASHINGTON, DC

    Ms. Contreras. Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, 
members of the committee, thank you for considering my 
nomination to be the Assistant Secretary for Children and 
Families. I am grateful to President Biden for nominating me 
for this role and, if confirmed, will work diligently each day 
under his leadership and that of Secretary Becerra.
    Before beginning, I would like to thank my family. Here 
with me today are my youngest son and my sister. And watching 
from home are my wonderful husband of 27 years; my oldest son, 
who's in college; the woman who shaped me, my mother; and all 
of my Fontes family back in Arizona. Also, my proud dad, his 
wife, and my brother in Missouri. And without a doubt, watching 
over my shoulder are my nana and tata, my maternal 
grandparents, whom I carry in my heart each day. I am always 
grateful to my family for supporting me in all that I do.
    Growing up, I was fortunate to learn the value of service 
and hard work from my own family. My grandfather was a 
paratrooper in World War II. My grandmother raised 11 children 
on a shoestring budget. I was born on Bergstrom Air Force Base 
in Texas, where my father served. And by the time I was a 
toddler, we moved to Arizona, where my family has lived for 
generations.
    My parents both began long careers at the U.S. Postal 
Service, and they worked the second shift for most of my 
childhood. This meant my grandparents pitched in to help until 
I was old enough to stay home by myself. And when I was 11 
years old, my sister was born. And my very first leadership 
role was launched a couple of years later when I began taking 
care of her--cooking her dinner and tucking her in every night. 
Being responsible for my sister's well-being gave me a deep 
sense of purpose that has stayed with me throughout my 25 years 
of public service.
    My public service career began as a prosecutor in the State 
of Arizona. I went on to serve as an Assistant Director in our 
State's Medicaid agency, one of the most cost-efficient, high-
quality Medicaid programs in the country. I also served as a 
member of Governor Janet Napolitano's staff, and later Cabinet, 
when I led the Department of Health Services. In each of these 
roles, collaboration was key. I worked with diverse, bipartisan 
stakeholders including State, local, and Tribal leadership, 
advocacy organizations, health-care providers, faith-based 
organizations, and government contractors.
    I value my State agency experience because it's where I 
learned to manage large organizations, large budgets. It is 
where I learned how to bring talented teams together to achieve 
common objectives. And most importantly, it is where I learned 
the heavy responsibility that we have in these roles to deliver 
results that make a difference in the lives of people.
    In 2013, after a long career in government, I founded 
Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services. We go by ``ALWAYS.'' It 
is a legal aid organization that provides life-changing legal 
services to some of the most vulnerable people in my home 
State.
    The mission of ACF mirrors the mission of ALWAYS. The 
people we serve at ALWAYS are the same people at the 
Administration for Children and Families: children in foster 
care, young adults who have transitioned out of foster care, 
youth who are homeless, unaccompanied children, and survivors 
of domestic violence and human trafficking.
    The mission of ACF is my professional mission. If confirmed 
as the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, I will 
work with the talented men and women of ACF to prioritize 
prevention and family well-being, including strengthening 
supports for grandparents and kinship caregivers. Congress laid 
a new way forward with the passage of the Family First 
Prevention Services Act, and I would work with colleagues in 
and outside of the Federal Government to live out the promise 
that Family First envisions.
    Throughout ACF programs, I would lead with a commitment to 
reduce racial disparities and build equity, and to lift up 
whole-
family and community-based strategies to increase safety, 
financial stability, and economic mobility for kids, youth, and 
families. And that includes accessible child care.
    Each time I have been entrusted with the responsibility of 
stewarding public resources and executing mission-critical 
services, I have been grateful. And each time, I have remained 
focused on the faces I was entrusted to serve: children, youth, 
and families who need allies to help them thrive; trafficking 
and domestic violence survivors looking for safety and 
security; and families with low incomes looking for help to 
keep the lights on.
    If confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Children and 
Families, I will remain focused on the faces ACF has been 
entrusted to serve. If confirmed, I am ready to get to work 
with every ACF colleague and partners across the country to 
carry out this important mission.
    Thank you for your consideration of my nomination. I look 
forward to answering the questions that you have.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Contreras appears in the 
appendix.]
    The Chairman. Thank you very much. And I particularly 
appreciate your coming back to legal aid and your work there. I 
think about my time when I was Director of the Legal Services 
for the Elderly program in our State. And when I would go out 
to our offices--which were far-flung, with a number of them in 
rural areas--I was struck by how often whoever was seeking 
legal representation came with their family. You saw it in 
those waiting rooms. So, I appreciate your background, and I 
think it is a real plus for you in consideration for this 
appointment.
    Okay, we are now ready for Ms. Jones Gaston. What a thrill 
to have somebody we have decided to proclaim to be an Oregonian 
from this point on.

     STATEMENT OF REBECCA E. JONES GASTON, NOMINATED TO BE 
COMMISSIONER, ADMINISTRATION ON CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES, 
    DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, WASHINGTON, DC

    Ms. Jones Gaston. Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, 
members of the committee, thank you for your consideration of 
my nomination to be the Commissioner of the Administration on 
Children, Youth, and Families. I am honored by President 
Biden's decision to nominate me for this role and, if 
confirmed, look forward to serving children, youth, and 
families under his and Secretary Becerra's leadership.
    Before I begin my testimony, I would like to thank my 
family. Here with me today are my children's godmothers, 
friends who have become family. And watching virtually are my 
son and daughter, my mother and many of my family, friends, 
mentors, and colleagues. With me in spirit are my ancestors and 
my birth parents. I would not be here today without the love 
and support of all of these people.
    I was adopted at a very young age after a number of foster 
care placements and grew up in a small Iowa farming community. 
Throughout my career in human services and child welfare, I 
have infused my lived experience, and the experience of others, 
into my work because I believe that those who have been served 
by children and family services systems should have a role in 
changing these systems.
    If confirmed as the Commissioner of the Administration on 
Children, Youth, and Families, I would prioritize shifting the 
focus of child welfare systems from placement to prevention by 
promoting cross-system partnerships and shared outcomes, and 
helping States implement the Family First Prevention Services 
Act; leading from the ground up by keeping the perspective of 
States and those with lived experience at the fore; and 
ensuring equity and inclusion are at the center of all that we 
do. I have been working in human services and child welfare for 
almost 25 years. During that time, I have transformed child 
welfare systems under both Democratic and Republican Governors. 
I have worked across the Nation to recruit foster and adoptive 
parents; have implemented innovative policies and programs; and 
have sat side-by-side with families and youth being served by 
these systems as a person with lived experience as a parent, an 
advocate, and a social worker.
    As a result of my personal and professional experiences, I 
know that transforming children and family services systems 
into family well-being systems that serve children, youth, 
parents, and families as a whole cannot be done without 
collaborating with public and private partners, Tribal Nations, 
communities, and faith-based partners, including those with 
diverse perspectives.
    I currently serve as the Director of Child Welfare at the 
Oregon Department of Human Services. Together with my team and 
community partners, we developed a strategic plan focused on 
well-being and prevention that has already yielded results. 
Despite the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have reduced the 
number of children in foster care by more than 20 percent over 
2 years and are on a path towards long-term change.
    I led similar change efforts as the head of the Social 
Services Administration in Maryland, where I served under the 
leadership of Republican Governor Larry Hogan. In both Maryland 
and Oregon, I successfully led the States' Family First 
Prevention Services Act plans from development through Federal 
approval. If confirmed, I will prioritize supporting States to 
fully implement this landmark law so that children, youth, and 
families do not have to wait any longer for the 
transformational change that it offers.
    In addition to Family First, there are a number of other 
levers at the Federal level to support States that are working 
hard to be innovative and improve how they meet the needs of 
children, youth, parents, and families. However, the key word 
here is ``support,'' as it is also important for the Federal 
Government not to put up unnecessary barriers.
    Transforming children and family services systems into 
family well-being systems cannot be done without a focus on 
equity and inclusion. In these systems across the Nation, we 
see disproportionality at every decision point. This impacts 
rural communities, communities of color, Tribal Nations, and 
other vulnerable communities.
    In these communities, we often see limited access to 
services and resources, impacts of poverty, and disparate 
outcomes. To build towards well-being, I have heard from those 
who have experienced the child welfare system, that many 
families and youth could have been supported earlier by meeting 
needs related to homelessness, child care, and access to other 
concrete supports, such as addressing family violence 
prevention, mental health, and substance use needs. If 
confirmed, I look forward to continuing to be a voice for those 
who have experienced these systems and leading transformation 
to better meet their needs.
    Thank you for the opportunity to share my work and vision. 
I look forward to answering your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Jones Gaston appears in the 
appendix.]
    The Chairman. Thank you very much, Ms. Jones Gaston. At 
this point I am going to put into the record a number of 
organizations that sent letters to Senator Crapo and I. By 
unanimous consent, we will put them into the record right at 
this point.
    [The letters appear in the appendix beginning on p. 88.]
    The Chairman. Now we have some formalities. I think you all 
have been advised on these. First--and we will just go right 
down the row--is there anything that you are aware of in your 
background that might present a conflict of interest with the 
duties of the office to which you have been nominated? Mr. 
Gordon?
    Mr. Gordon. No.
    Ms. Contreras. No.
    Ms. Jones Gaston. No.
    The Chairman. Second, do you know of any reason, personal 
or otherwise, that would in any way prevent you from fully and 
honorably discharging the responsibilities of the office to 
which you have been nominated?
    Mr. Gordon. No.
    Ms. Contreras. No.
    Ms. Jones Gaston. No.
    The Chairman. Third, do you agree without reservation to 
respond to any reasonable summons to appear and testify before 
any duly constituted committee of the Congress if you are 
confirmed?
    Mr. Gordon. Yes.
    Ms. Contreras. Yes, Senator.
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Yes.
    The Chairman. Finally, do you commit to provide a prompt 
response in writing to any questions addressed to you by any 
Senator of this committee?
    Mr. Gordon. Yes.
    Ms. Contreras. Yes.
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Yes.
    The Chairman. Okay. We are going to get into some 
questions, and Senator Crapo and I will start this off.
    First, Ms. Jones Gaston, I think I heard you say, but I 
want to make sure we get it in the record, that you are already 
on the way to getting, I believe you said, an over 20-percent 
reduction in foster care placements in Oregon?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Yes, Mr. Chairman. In Oregon over the 
last 2 years, we have reduced the number of children in foster 
care by 20 percent, about 1,000 children.
    The Chairman. Very good. And our State really likes the 
idea that we are getting out in front on this. This is an area, 
as you know, where we have had a lot of problems historically, 
and we want this turned around.
    Now, not all the States in the country are as far along as 
we have come with your leadership. You have led two States 
through the process of development and implementation. So, as 
you and I talked about, we want to surge that progress. We want 
to have dramatic advancements in the number of States on your 
watch that pick up on Family First.
    Tell us a little bit--you and I talked about it--about your 
kind of game plan to do that?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. First of all, it 
is to be able to talk with the team, if I am confirmed, that is 
within ACYF and ACF. And then also, listening to the States 
around what the experience has been, and where are the possible 
hurdles, and what is needed to be able to actually help them 
move forward and get approval for those plans that are actually 
already submitted and under consideration. And then working 
with the States that have not yet submitted to identify what 
the concerns are, what the issues might be, and identifying how 
we might be able to support having all of our States 
participating in the Family First opportunity.
    The Chairman. Now, we talked also about increasing 
transparency so that everybody can work towards this goal of 
having a system that is really based on hard evidence that 
something really is working, in terms of implementing Family 
First. How do you see that going forward?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Transparency is 
absolutely important. I think being able to have good open 
communication with the States and the families that we are 
working with, with yourself and members of Congress, in the 
partnership and collaboration--all of the work that we do 
absolutely depends on the ability to partner and collaborate 
and identify solutions and strategies for meeting the needs of 
children and families to move towards transparency. That 
includes data, information, evidence, making sure that we have 
the practices and services in place to actually meet the needs 
that children and families have in the way that they need them 
to be delivered, and supporting being able to have those added 
into our toolkit, per se, for providing the supports to 
families and children.
    The Chairman. Good. I want to move on, but I also want to 
note that you worked with a Democratic Governor, you worked 
with a Republican Governor. Senator Crapo and I talk about this 
often. Human Services is about what we can make work, and what 
we have to look at anew because it is not coming through to our 
families and particularly our kids. So I just want to note that 
for the record.
    And I would not have allowed you to leave Oregon unless it 
was to achieve more on what you have been building in Oregon. 
And I am very pleased that we are having a chance to consider 
your nomination today. I intend to support you fully.
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Okay.
    Ms. Contreras, you too will be involved in Family First, 
and I think I have pummeled this subject with both of you 
previously. Tell us a little bit about the first steps you 
would take to address racial equity in this position. This has 
also been an important part of the committee's work on prenatal 
care, for example. We have just been stunned at how minority 
moms, Black moms in particular, have just not been able to get 
the kind of services that you see in affluent White suburbs. 
And we are very much committed to turning around these issues 
where, with so many measures of racial equity, it is just 
something you talk about but you do not deliver on. And that is 
what we want to change.
    So, tell us your first steps with respect to how you would 
proceed, and if you have any suggestions for us in terms of 
what we could do to achieve the goal.
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for that question. 
And thank you for your leadership and the leadership of this 
body in passing Family First, and in being brave enough to say 
we need to move from intervention to prevention; that we need 
to support families and their well-being.
    If confirmed, what my priority will be in this area is to 
make sure that as we move forward, as we are building 
prevention into everything we do at ACF, that that is done with 
an equity lens.
    I think my approach, if confirmed, would be to, number one, 
make sure that we are talking to a lot of diverse partners on 
the ground--States, nonprofits, families themselves--and make 
sure that there are more people at the table.
    Number two, that we are looking at ACF and who is in the 
room, and who is at the decision table; that we are making sure 
that those who are impacted, professionals who have been 
personally impacted by the child welfare system, are at the 
table, and that those professionals are bringing diverse 
perspectives and diverse backgrounds.
    Three, in my home State--I come from a State with 22 Tribes 
in Arizona. There is a lot of opportunity for collaboration 
with Tribal Governments and Tribal communities to make sure 
that we are addressing racial disparities.
    I met with a juvenile judge and an Attorney General of a 
Tribe not too long ago, and they were sharing more about the 
pilot program they have started, which is sharing data, which 
is not being afraid to share that data so that they can 
actually look at ZIP codes and look at where families need the 
most help, so that we can reduce the number of placements.
    That is the kind of work that needs to happen. And if 
confirmed, I look forward to working with you to make sure that 
we are making equity a priority.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Ms. Contreras. Thank you for your 
thoughtful answers.
    Senator Crapo?
    Senator Crapo. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Gordon, as Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, 
you would play a critical role in ensuring the efficient use of 
our taxpayer resources. HHS has the largest budget of any 
Federal agency, totaling nearly $1.7 trillion for fiscal year 
2022. A budget of that size requires careful oversight. And we 
are currently emerging from an unprecedented public health 
crisis, which some have argued requires what could be described 
as ``spend now and validate results later.''
    I am concerned about that. And I just want to ask you to 
respond to your commitment to reviewing the Department's 
programs to determine where we do have waste, fraud, and abuse 
of taxpayer resources, and what can be done to strengthen that 
review going forward.
    Mr. Gordon. Thank you for that question, Senator. And you 
have my commitment to take with utmost seriousness the 
responsibility to make sure that dollars are spent as 
effectively as possible, and that we are always minimizing 
waste, fraud, and abuse. I have done that throughout my career, 
so I think there are multiple ways we can do that, including in 
the context of the pandemic.
    I talked a little bit about performance management. This 
office is responsible for the Department's performance 
management and metrics. And I think setting metrics, being 
publicly accountable for results, making adjustments in real 
time, that is a meaningful approach across multiple dimensions.
    I think using evidence in policymaking--I talked a little 
bit about the maternal MIECHV program, which requires the use 
of evidence. I think that is an approach we should use more 
often in government.
    And lastly, with respect to waste, fraud, and abuse, it has 
been a commitment throughout my career to address that. When I 
arrived in Michigan, I asked for funding increases in only a 
few areas, but one of them was for the Department's Inspector 
General to address challenges with waste, fraud, and abuse in 
the State's Medicaid and SNAP programs. We need to do it in a 
way that is sensitive to legitimate claims, that does not put 
up undue barriers, but it is always a challenge. And ASFR plays 
a key role in marshaling the Department's resources against 
erroneous payments, and that is something I would be committed 
to act on if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed.
    Senator Crapo. Well, thank you. I appreciate that 
commitment and that focus, and I appreciate your record of 
being able to do that kind of thing. So, thank you.
    Ms. Contreras, you mentioned there are a number of Tribes 
in Arizona. There are a number of Tribes in Idaho too. So I 
completely identified with your comment there and appreciate 
your focus on collaboration in that context.
    I have long been a champion of the MIECHV program, which 
expires at the end of this fiscal year. It supports evidence-
based home visiting services for at-risk families with young 
children. And home visiting programs have been proven to help 
prevent child abuse and neglect, improve maternal and child 
health, and promote child development.
    I know you understand all of that. As you are aware, MIECHV 
is administered by the Health Resources and Services 
Administration, HRSA, in collaboration with the Administration 
on Children and Families, or ACF. My question to you is, as we 
work on reauthorizing the program, do you have any reforms or 
suggestions that you would recommend to us now to help even 
improve it?
    Ms. Contreras. Ranking Member Crapo, thank you for that 
question. When we are talking about home visits, it is a 
perfect example of the creation of a gateway for families to a 
universe of services, to a universe of supports for them. And 
that is really a model that we need throughout our work, where 
there are more gateways for young families and for parents who 
are looking for those supports and who need them.
    As we move forward, if confirmed I certainly am committed 
to collaborating with HRSA--HRSA is an important partner--and 
to making sure that we also reach our rural areas, which is 
important. I think the kinds of reforms--my approach would be 
to recommend that we are working together to, again, build in 
that equity lens so that there are no families left behind in 
terms of having accessibility to home visits, that we are doing 
our part to make sure that the entire suite of services that is 
available through ACF to support families and children is part 
and parcel of what they are introducing to families. It is 
really a part of a larger strategy that this administration is 
committed to, to again build prevention, to build family well-
being. Home visits are an important part of that, and if 
confirmed, I would look forward to working with partners on 
that issue.
    Senator Crapo. Well, thank you. And I am about out of time, 
but, Ms. Jones Gaston, I did want to note, Senator Wyden 
mentioned that it was impressive that you have worked with both 
Republican and Democrat Governors and have a strong record.
    The question I have for you I will submit for the record, 
but it focuses--in fact, this is a question that you will 
probably get too, Ms. Contreras. But it focuses on how critical 
it is for us to work broadly as we administer these programs 
for children, and how you feel about the importance of working 
with faith-based providers as they play a role in the child 
welfare system. But I will submit that for the record.
    [The question appears in the appendix.]
    The Chairman. Senator Crapo--either of you, would you care 
to answer?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you. I would be happy to, Ranking 
Member Crapo. I have had lots of experience throughout my 
career in partnering with faith-based organizations. I think 
when we are talking about the well-being of children and family 
and communities, we need everybody working together to create a 
safety network for our vulnerable populations, and faith-based 
partners are a part of that.
    Senator Crapo. I appreciate that. And I will not go on to 
Ms. Contreras, but I will put it in my questions for the record 
for you to respond to that as well. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Crapo, and your point with 
respect to faith-based providers very much respects and very 
much aligns with our views here as well. We are going to need 
everybody. There are just too many young people, too many 
families falling between the cracks, and I thank you for that.
    Senator Cortez Masto, I believe is online, and then Senator 
Whitehouse will be next--two strong advocates for kids and 
families.
    Senator Cortez Masto?
    Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman 
and Ranking Member. Thank you to all of the nominees for your 
willingness to serve in these critical roles at the Department 
of Health and Human Services.
    Ms. Jones Gaston, let me start with you. As you know, the 
pandemic has been incredibly difficult across the child welfare 
space. We have seen communities hit hard by the twin economic 
and public health crisis, and then you are still dealing with 
COVID-related obstacles, workforce challenges, and exacerbated 
health conditions. This has been difficult not just for kids 
and their families, but also for the front-line child 
protective service workers who go above and beyond every day.
    So my question for you is, what initiatives are there at 
the Federal level to support case workers with mental health 
and other services so that they are able to deal with the very 
difficult things they experience as part of their job?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you for the question, Senator. And 
you are absolutely right. The impact of the pandemic has been 
really profound for the families that we are serving, as well 
as for the workforce that is serving these families.
    First of all, thank you to the congressional body for the 
funding that was provided, and the flexibilities provided for 
the resources needed to be able to serve children and families 
and our young adults experiencing the variety of things that 
came up unexpectedly during the pandemic. And to our workforce, 
the gratitude I have for them continuing to show up every day 
and putting themselves at risk by continuing to make sure that 
we are working with children and families and keeping child 
safety at the forefront--it has absolutely been difficult. And 
I look forward to working with partners across the organization 
and members of Congress to really continue to look for ways to 
continue to strengthen our workforce, and to provide the 
services and supports that they need to be well in order to be 
able to do the important work of serving children and families. 
Thank you.
    Senator Cortez Masto. So let me ask you this: given the 
pending reauthorization of IV-B, are there other opportunities 
within that act that may help address this issue for our front-
line workers?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you, Senator. The IV-B funding is 
incredibly helpful for States to be able to meet a variety of 
needs, including the services for children and families, the 
flexibilities of being able to do things that might not be 
covered by Medicaid or other funding streams, as well as 
thinking about what are the wellness things that are in place 
for our workforce in being able to help support them through 
this.
    In Oregon we have been able to implement a trauma-informed 
response when workers experience trauma in the workplace with a 
child or a family that they are working with, so that there is 
immediate support going to them and to their colleagues to be 
able to work through their trauma, again to be able to do the 
important work that they do. And so I look forward to being 
able to explore a variety of different ways that we might be 
able to support that at the Federal level.
    Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you.
    And now, Ms. Contreras, it is great to see you again, and 
congratulations on the nomination. One of my top priorities 
here at the Federal level is to make sure that our Federal 
partners are working constructively with the States and 
counties on the front line to meet our children's needs.
    I am hoping that you can speak to your experience at the 
State and local levels, and how it will inform the way you will 
approach your Federal role.
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you for that question, Senator Cortez 
Masto, and it is wonderful to see you as well. My experience at 
the State and local level is really what brought me here to 
this moment today. It has always been about who we are serving. 
And in this case with ACF, it is such a sacred duty that we 
have here to protect the safety and the well-being of families 
and children.
    In my own experience being at the State Medicaid agency, we 
had a lot of collaboration. We had a chance to be very 
innovative, to use demonstration waivers that are available, 
and we did a lot of work with our Federal partners as well.
    So for me, that experience really comes to bear, I guess in 
part because I have been an end-user of a State working with 
Federal funding, but then also when I had the chance to work at 
the Department of Homeland Security. Again, where are the gaps? 
Being able to listen to the community, being able to listen to 
staff who have ideas that they have been ready to have 
implemented, it is a very unique opportunity to figure out how 
you keep making things work better.
    In this case with ACF, you have done great work in Congress 
to pass Family First, which gives a very unique and landmark 
opportunity to build new systems to support our States, to 
support the workforce that you just asked about, to support the 
partners on the ground and make sure that we do our part to 
make it as--I do not want to use the word ``easy''; it is not 
easy work--but to make sure that we are providing technical 
assistance, we are providing resources, we are showing what are 
the best practices and the data that we are building the 
systems around. And so for me, that is my approach. That is the 
experience that I bring with me.
    And if confirmed, it is what will help me to make sure that 
I am working together with Congress, and with our partners, and 
with the families and children and youth who are most impacted.
    Senator Cortez Masto. Thank you. My time is up. I will 
submit the rest of my questions for the record.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    [The questions appear in the appendix.]
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator. And I just want to 
reference the point that the Senator just made with respect to 
State and local governments being involved in human services.
    As the Senator knows, in Nevada and Oregon we are thousands 
and thousands of miles from Washington, DC. And so often, our 
constituents feel Washington, DC might as well be Mars for all 
the real connection it has with the nuts and bolts of their 
life challenges. So I really appreciate Senator Cortez Masto 
asking, as she has often, about relationships with the States, 
and the fact that you both are going to have them front and 
center. For westerners, it is just a lifeline. We are just so 
far from Washington. Thank you.
    Okay; Senator Whitehouse?
    Senator Whitehouse. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome to 
the panel.
    A little background, I suppose, is in order. I have been a 
vigorous advocate for health care delivery system reform for 
quite some time. When we were doing Obamacare, I was a very 
strong supporter of the ACOs and the CMMI.
    I had a weekly meeting with reform advocates to make sure 
we got everything from a reform perspective that we could into 
that bill. And at the end of the day, we found that we really 
had gotten everything we felt we could into that bill. And 
however toxic the conversation became about Obamacare between 
Democrats and Republicans, those reform measures have been 
relatively noncontroversial. And they have been extremely 
successful. In particular, in Rhode Island, two of the best 
ACOs in the country have flourished and done an amazingly good 
job. They are actually driving down per-member per-month costs, 
not up--you know, slowing the curve of increase, driving it 
down.
    So I think my confidence in delivery system reform has been 
rewarded by results, and certainly in the Obama administration 
that became emblematized, if that is a word, by the so-called 
triple aim. And we are continuing to pursue that triple aim. We 
kind of came off focus a bit during the Trump years, but 
technical people at CMS and HHS continued progress, and it was 
a noncontroversial area, and actually some of the ACOs 
flourished there.
    This work, to me, is a big deal as Medicare closes in on 
insolvency, because if we can save a lot of money in Medicare 
by having healthier patients, that seems like a pretty obvious 
strategy to follow. And so it is really important to me that 
Medicare and Medicaid continue their role of leading away from 
fee-for-service towards the triple aim, and towards examples 
that prove this.
    That background connects to progress we have been trying to 
make in Rhode Island with respect to what is sometimes called 
end-of-life care, and that is sometimes called advanced-care. 
There are payment rules in Medicare that are idiotic and 
harmful as applied to the end-of-life care/advanced-care 
population, things like having to spend a couple of nights in 
the hospital before you can get into a nursing home, when you 
may be a week or two away from death and the reason you need to 
be in the nursing home was because your family just cannot cope 
with some of the things that are happening. Not allowing for 
in-home care in those circumstances is bad for the patients, 
bad for the families, and it runs up the bill.
    So it is not the triple aim of good, good, good; it is 
stupid, stupid, stupid, and perhaps even stupid and cruel, 
stupid and cruel, and stupid. And we have been working on 
trying to solve this for a very, very long time. And we have 
been working with CMMI through now four, I want to say, 
Directors to try to get approval to let this go forward as a 
kind of pilot that CMMI is supposed to have. And it is not 
entirely Ms. Fowler's fault. She is obviously a veteran of this 
committee. But I am tired of Groundhog Day and having to start 
from scratch every time there is somebody new. And I am tired 
of an organization that seems to have no capacity to listen 
when something like this, that seems to be a huge win, is put 
right in front of it.
    So this is, I guess--I think Mr. Gordon is going to oversee 
some of the CMMI stuff, so I guess I will ask him for a 
response in the form of a question. But my real audience is the 
Sherpas here to fire a flare into space saying that I am tired 
of not being listened to on this subject, and of having a blank 
wall to deal with when there is no real contest on the merits. 
It is just, ``We don't want to listen to you. We don't want to 
do it that way. We might think about doing it some other way 
some other time, and we are just not here to listen and not 
here to help.''
    I have been through too many rounds with CMMI for that to 
be acceptable any longer. And interestingly enough, actually 
the best engagement we had was with one of the Trump CMMI 
leaders. So let's see if we can improve on that, and I will let 
Mr. Gordon answer briefly, but I have used all my time, so 
please make it briefly.
    Mr. Gordon. Thank you, Senator. I hear about your passion 
and your expertise around the issue. I had the good fortune 
early in my career, during the transition, to work with the CMS 
Administrator and the CMMI Administrator, and I would look 
forward to talking with them about these issues.
    My own experience--not getting into the details of the 
rules involved, which I don't know--is that of course 
increasing access to home-based care can be better for people 
and better for budgets, and that alternative payment methods 
can yield better care and cost savings, and that going upstream 
with medical care, creating incentives for our health system 
not just to treat people in the doctor's office and the 
hospital, but to improve the conditions in which they live 
every day and to work with them on exercise, nutrition, 
housing, clean air, clean water, those too can yield better 
health outcomes and savings.
    So I completely agree, and I am sure----
    Senator Whitehouse. If you give us a chance, we will prove 
that for this very vulnerable population.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Whitehouse.
    We now have Senator Bennet. We are also glad to be joined 
by Senator Warren. TBD with respect to others, but let us go 
with Senator Bennet.
    Senator Bennet. Thank you, Chairman Wyden. Can you hear me?
    The Chairman. Yes.
    Senator Bennet. Thank you, Chairman Wyden, and thanks to 
Ranking Member Crapo as well for holding this hearing on 
nominations to fill these critical roles at the HHS. I want to 
thank Mr. Gordon, Ms. Contreras, and Ms. Jones Gaston for your 
willingness to serve and work to care for our Nation's children 
and families.
    Ms. Contreras and Ms. Jones Gaston, both of you will have 
important roles overseeing programs that take care of our 
Nation's most vulnerable children. For years I have worked 
alongside Senator Wyden and Senator Grassley to write and pass 
the Family First Prevention Services Act. This is aimed to 
modernize our Nation's child welfare system and support kids 
and families at risk of entering the foster care system. And 
although States are moving forward to support these families, 
they are still encountering barriers, specifically on how the 
Prevention Services Clearinghouse is approving programs. 
Colorado has also shared its concerns on the slow timing and 
back-and-forth with regional offices simply to have plans 
approved.
    Where do you see opportunities to enhance oversight and 
engagement with States and Tribes to ensure that children and 
families across the country are receiving the support we 
promised them to stay together? Do you--why don't you go ahead 
and please answer that?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you, Senator, for the question. It 
is absolutely critical that we find ways to be able to support 
States being able to implement that important legislation so 
that we are preventing maltreatment and preventing the 
utilization of foster care as our only path to serving children 
and families.
    There has been a lot of information that has been gathered 
I know over the last year from some States in regards to the 
experience of the Clearinghouse. I think the other important 
information that has been gathered has been from the providers 
who are submitting information to the Clearinghouse for 
consideration.
    So I am committed to working with yourself and with the 
team, if confirmed, to be able to find ways to get the 
evidence-based practices into our Clearinghouse; to make sure 
they are the services that are needed for the diverse 
populations that we serve across this country; and to work with 
the States to be able to really get the prevention plans 
submitted, approved, and implemented so that children and 
families are getting what was intended from the Family First 
Act.
    Senator Bennet. Okay. We look forward to working with you 
on that. And, Ms. Contreras, I do not know whether you have an 
additional answer to that, but let me ask you a different 
question, and then you can add that up. My time is short.
    Ms. Contreras, I applaud your interest in serving in one of 
the most difficult positions. And if you are confirmed, you've 
got a lot of hard work set out for you. One of your 
responsibilities will be to care for the 9,600 unaccompanied 
children that are under the custody of HHS. As I have mentioned 
before in this committee, the previous administration almost 
did everything in its power to dismantle our legal immigration 
system. It cut important services for kids in the government's 
custody. Hundreds of kids were separated from their parents 
under the last President's policies and were never reunified, 
which remains a challenge under the current administration.
    In the past month, we have begun to see the number of 
unaccompanied kids in HHS custody start to increase again for 
number of reasons not under your jurisdiction, but you are 
ultimately responsible for caring for them once they are here.
    I am disappointed that we have not seen a proactive public 
plan from the Biden administration on what they are doing to 
best serve these children. If confirmed, will you commit to 
establishing a public strategy on caring for unaccompanied 
children and sharing that with me and the rest of the Congress?
    In the meantime, could you speak to this broader set of 
issues?
    Ms. Contreras. Senator Bennet, thank you for that question. 
If confirmed, my priority is the safety of children and the 
well-being of families. That includes all children. That 
includes our children who are in the unaccompanied children 
program.
    I will share that I have represented unaccompanied children 
as their lawyer. I have trained ORR staff and providers in the 
past. This is a world that I know. And I know that there are 
many partners out there who want to work with us to make sure 
that we are caring for children in a way that adopts the best 
practices from child welfare. And that will be my priority, if 
confirmed.
    It is to, number one, make sure that we are watching the 
data in our planning. Number two, to make sure that we are 
trying to build systems that adopt the best child welfare 
practices. Number three, we are keeping these kids safe the 
whole way as we do that. And number four, we are then 
reunifying them with family, or placing them safely with a 
vetted sponsor as soon as we can.
    Those are my goals. You have my commitment to working with 
you and all partners in achieving that.
    Senator Bennet. My time is up, but do you think you have 
the funding to be able to fulfill the responsibility that you 
just described?
    Ms. Contreras. Senator, thank you for that question. If 
confirmed, I certainly do commit to following up with you on 
funding and sharing any input on that.
    Senator Bennet. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. All right. Thank you for your outstanding 
work for kids all these years, Senator Bennet.
    So, we have members--it is a hectic day--coming and going. 
We are going to lock in the next three: Senator Grassley, 
Senator Warren, and Senator Hassan.
    Senator Grassley?
    Senator Grassley. Thank you very much. I want to explain 
that I was not here for your testimony because I was across the 
hall as ranking member of the Judiciary Committee.
    I am going to start with Ms. Contreras. Congress passed the 
Family First Prevention Services Act in an effort to focus 
Federal child welfare resources in keeping families together. 
The expectation is that this will result in fewer children 
entering foster care. However, the primary goal should be to 
improve the safety and well-being of children who are at risk, 
not simply to lower the number of kids in care.
    If confirmed, how will you work to ensure that the 
Department is tracking safety and health outcomes for children 
who are impacted by Family First?
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you for that question, Senator, and 
thank you for your leadership and this body's leadership on 
passing Family First, which is a very important piece of 
legislation that, when we live out its vision fully, is going 
to make a big difference and is making a difference now for 
families and children.
    My priorities, if confirmed, are to make sure that we are 
collaborating with States, counties, and Tribal Governments; 
that we are collaborating so that we are providing technical 
assistance and resources to help them put those plans together, 
to help those plans get approved, to ensure that we are making 
the Clearinghouse a robust source for States of best practices, 
programs, and services that work for diverse families, 
programs, and services that are culturally competent; and 
collaborating across HHS and across government.
    How can we work better within HHS, how can we work better 
with HUD to provide services, to collaborate, and at least to 
communicate to families on the ground? All of the ways that 
this Congress has passed, and the administration is living out, 
to support families and children--those are my priorities.
    If confirmed, I look forward to being a partner with you, 
with States, with Tribal Governments, and with our partners on 
the ground to make sure that we are supporting families and 
children and trying to keep them safely together.
    Senator Grassley. For Ms. Jones Gaston, across the country, 
including my State of Iowa, there is a shortage of foster 
parents. This has caused a very unsuitable placement for 
children who need to enter foster care. Many foster parents 
choose to stop fostering after only 1 year, and most say that 
they did not feel supported by the agencies.
    So how would you, if confirmed, approach improving the 
retention rates of foster parents?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you for the question, Senator 
Grassley. And first I would just like to acknowledge and thank 
you for your service to Iowa. As a child of Iowa, it is a 
pleasure to see you today.
    Foster parents have a very difficult job. They are critical 
to our work in child welfare and partnering with us in caring 
for the children who come to us, oftentimes with experiences 
that include trauma and add to challenges that they have. And 
so it is critical that we support our foster families, that we 
recruit families that diversely represent the children and 
families that we are serving, and that we are looking for ways 
to be able to support them.
    In my experience, I have been able to work really closely 
with the foster parent associations in each of the States that 
I have served--in Maryland and Oregon--and identify really a 
feedback loop so that as the agency was getting information 
directly from those that are serving with us, we were able to 
identify where are the places where we need improvement, what 
are the things that are working?
    The other important piece is, we need partners. And so 
partnering and collaborating with the community, with 
organizations, to also wrap around the support that foster 
families and the children whom they are serving need, as well 
as their families, is really critical to being able to create, 
again, the safety network that is also inclusive of our 
resource families and foster parents.
    Senator Grassley. Last February--this will be my last 
question--last February, Secretary Becerra went before our 
committee. He was asked about being responsive to questions 
that we would ask him. He committed to Chairman Wyden that he 
will be prompt in answering questions by any Senator of this 
committee. Secretary Becerra told me in writing, quote, ``I 
will provide prompt responses in writing to requests from any 
member of the committee.''
    Unfortunately, this has not happened. On June the 10th, 
2021, at a budget hearing with Secretary Becerra, I submitted 
questions for the record, including about rural health and my 
oversight into COVID-19 origins. In total, 20 Senators asked 
181 questions. Last week, we got answers to these questions--
237 days later. This is not a prompt response. I can understand 
it takes time to respond, but HHS needs to respond.
    So I guess, instead of asking each of you separately, you 
see the problem we have, and I hope you can overcome this and 
be more responsive to our questions.
    The Chairman. The time of the gentleman has expired. 
Senator Warren is next, and then Senator Hassan. And we also 
have a great champ for children who has come, Senator Brown. We 
will go with Warren then Hassan, the next two we just 
announced.
    Senator Warren?
    Senator Warren. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and 
thank you all for your willingness to serve and for being with 
us here today. I wish I had time to talk with all of you about 
your work, but I want to focus in on one issue in particular.
    Ms. Contreras, you are nominated to serve as Assistant 
Secretary for Children and Families, and that means that, if 
confirmed, you will oversee a number of important programs at 
HHS, including Child Care and Head Start.
    Now, millions of American families right now rely on child-
care providers so that parents can go to work. And millions of 
children are in child care, where they get a chance to play and 
learn and grow. But our child-care system is in crisis. Things 
were bad enough before the pandemic, with millions of parents 
unable to find quality child care that they could afford. But 
now, COVID has forced more than 10,000 child-care providers to 
close their doors, and thousands more to reduce capacity. Even 
with record job creations this past year, the child-care 
industry is still down 136,000 workers compared with early 
2020. Seven thousand child-care jobs evaporated just during 
this latest Omicron wave.
    So, Ms. Contreras, may I ask: a child care shortage means 
it is even harder for families to find a center with an open 
slot for a child. But does it also have an impact on what child 
care costs?
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you for that question, Senator Warren, 
and thank you for your leadership on this issue.
    I agree with you that child-care costs are a challenge for 
American families. I have represented many struggling young 
mothers for whom child care was simply not within reach. When 
we look at the costs of child care, I think one thing that we 
have seen is, during the pandemic there were too many--there 
are too many--child-care providers who are struggling, and too 
many who, if not closed, as you mentioned, are facing closure.
    I believe one study that I read showed that providers have 
seen nearly a 50-percent increase in their costs, in part due 
to the pandemic. And that is since the start of the pandemic. 
We have to do better.
    You have my commitment, if confirmed, that I will be 
working with you as a partner, working with providers on the 
ground, to support their workforce and to support providers so 
that we are making sure that we are taking care of the people 
who are taking care of our kids.
    Senator Warren. Well, I very much appreciate that. You 
know, the numbers are just really awful in this area. HHS 
considers child care affordable when it costs no more than 7 
percent of a family's income. And yet the median family--that's 
the family right in the middle--that is using child care right 
now is paying 25 percent of their income. Think about that. 
More than three times what HHS deems as affordable.
    So families are paying more for child care. And let me just 
ask: has the cost of providing that care gone up during the 
pandemic, Ms. Contreras?
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you, Senator. I think they go hand in 
hand. That is what we have seen, that the cost of child care 
and even the availability of it, are greater problems than they 
were before the pandemic. But also, we are seeing that 
providers are experiencing these very high increases in the 
costs to them.
    And our job is to make sure we have a stable child-care 
sector for kids and for parents. And you have my commitment to 
work with you on that so that we are speaking with providers on 
the ground, that we are helping them to support their 
workforce, and that we are building stability into that sector.
    Senator Warren. So families are paying more. Child-care 
centers are spending more--things like masks and tests, their 
ratios of supervisors to children--and yet child-care workers 
are not making any more money. In fact, for many of them, they 
would make more money if they left and went to Walmart than 
they will working at a child-care center.
    One survey found--and this has real consequences for 
families--one survey found that to save money on child care, 94 
percent of parents had recently resorted to reducing work 
hours, switching jobs, or leaving the workforce altogether.
    So let me ask one last question to see if we can do this 
quickly. There is a lot we need to do to invest in child care 
in this country. Are you worried that if more help does not 
come quickly, we are going to see more centers closing their 
doors and even fewer children and parents who have access to 
high-quality, affordable child care?
    Ms. Contreras. Senator, we do have to get to work to make 
sure that we have a stable sector, and we need to put the 
supports there. You have a partner, if confirmed.
    Senator Warren. Good. We need to make big investments in 
child care. That is part of what Build Back Better is all 
about, and it is time for us to get this done. Thank you. And 
thank you all for being here.
    The Chairman. The Senator makes a number of important 
points. She and I have talked about it. In a sense--Democrats 
do not use this word very much--but also as supply-siders, we 
need to create a bigger supply, and then some of the other 
points that Senator Warren correctly points out. So we will be 
following up on that.
    The next member, per tentative agreement, is Senator 
Hassan, then Senator Brown, Senator Casey, and then Senator 
Cassidy. And I think that has been agreeable on all sides.
    Senator Hassan?
    Senator Hassan. Thanks very much, Mr. Chair. And I just 
want to start by thanking you and the ranking member for this 
hearing. And to all of our nominees, thank you so much for 
being willing to serve, and thank your families too, because 
this is a family effort, I know.
    I want to start with a question to Ms. Jones Gaston. Good 
morning. One of our greatest societal responsibilities is to 
keep our children safe, a responsibility that all too often 
goes unmet because of systemic failures. Recognizing this, it 
is essential that child welfare agencies make improvements. In 
your current role as Child Welfare Director in Oregon, you have 
overseen major system reforms and set an example for what other 
States may want to consider to improve their own child welfare 
systems.
    If confirmed, how will you help States improve their child 
welfare agencies so that no child falls between the cracks?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you for that question. The systemic 
change is absolutely needed, and it is possible. And it cannot 
be child welfare agencies alone; it has to be in partnership 
with health, with education, with Medicaid, with community 
partners, to really build the supports around families and 
communities so that, ultimately, we are preventing 
maltreatment, so that children are safe and not harmed.
    And then for the response system that the child welfare 
agency is, when there is a safety concern, it is being able to 
make sure that we have a workforce that is skilled, that we 
have partnerships and services available. Congress has provided 
a number of supports throughout the pandemic that we have been 
able to use flexibly in being able to meet some of the 
unexpected needs of families and children that we are serving. 
And it is paramount that we are also in partnership with other 
departments and organizations, and this body, as we continue to 
try and solve the complex challenges that children and families 
and communities are facing, ultimately with the focus of child 
safety and family well-being at the forefront. Thank you.
    Senator Hassan. Thank you. I think one of the issues that 
is kind of perpetual is that adults tend to focus on adults 
when we set policy. And we really need to put our kids first, 
and I would really look forward to working with you on that.
    I want to follow up on Senator Warren's line of questioning 
with you, Ms. Contreras, about our child-care system, our 
deficits, what we need to do. And I just want to drill down on 
one area, because I agree with Senator Warren's analysis. I am 
hearing from constituents all over New Hampshire about the 
difficulty of finding child care, about the expense when they 
do, and about the difficulty that certain kinds of work 
schedules pose in terms of aligning a reliable, stable child 
care setting with somebody's work obligations.
    But I want to drill down on what you think could be gained, 
if anything, if the Office of Child Care and Office of Head 
Start work together to increase access to early childhood 
education programs? Are there ways we can strengthen that 
partnership to really strengthen our overall child-care system?
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you for that question, Senator. 
Absolutely. Part of the approach for me, if confirmed, is to 
make sure that we are trying to break down silos throughout 
ACF, and throughout HHS, but in particular throughout ACF. We 
have incredible services and programs available to families and 
to kids on the ground, and we are not always presenting that 
through gateways where they are aware of all of the supports 
that are available.
    When we talk about early ed and child care, our goal is to 
build systems, to support systems that have diverse providers, 
so that we are communicating with them and not just with the 
State, but with the providers directly, and trying to really 
build the supply. As was just mentioned, really trying to build 
accessibility and support providers in a way that they can 
support their workforce, those people who are taking care of 
our kids, so that we can make sure that they can afford the 
expenses of staying in business so that families have somewhere 
to go, and that they can afford that.
    Senator Hassan. Well, thank you. And I want to follow up 
with one final question on the same issue generally of child 
care, but we know the importance of early intervention to the 
overall development and success of young children with 
disabilities.
    Unfortunately, the pandemic has resulted in many infants 
and toddlers with disabilities not being identified and with 
delay in getting necessary supports and services to children.
    I recently introduced a bill that would increase funding 
for the early intervention services under the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act to better support infants and 
toddlers with disabilities and their families. I realize I am 
over time, so we should be very brief here and we can follow 
up, but if confirmed, how will you ensure that families are 
connecting with the right resources and supports for their 
young kids with disabilities?
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you for that question, Senator. 
Briefly, at home in my home State, I worked in our Medicaid 
agency as Assistant Director and at our State Department of 
Health Services overseeing some of the partnerships that were 
linked to this specifically. What we need to do is make sure we 
are talking to our State and local governments, that we are 
listening not just talking, to understand what they need to 
support the families and the kids in their State. And that is 
my commitment to you, if confirmed.
    Senator Hassan. Thank you very much.
    Thank you, Mr. Chair.
    The Chairman. I thank my colleague and look forward very 
much to working with her on her bill. It sounds very important.
    Senator Brown?
    Senator Brown. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    I would like to start with asking a question of your 
constituent, if I could, Ms. Jones Gaston, and thank you for 
our conversation the other day.
    Family First created the QRTP, the Qualified Residential 
Treatment Program, to ensure children being cared for by 
families could access appropriate residential treatment. This 
policy reflects recommendations from individuals with lived 
experience in the foster care system who have experienced 
trauma from institutional phenomena.
    CMS has issued guidance to clarify that the Medicaid IMD 
exclusion rule applies to QRTPs with more than 16 beds, as you 
know. There has been confusion in my State regarding which 
providers are eligible to receive Federal Medicaid dollars. Our 
office continues to get outreach from QRTPs asking for 
clarification, and that is where you come in.
    So how can ACF and CMS work together to clear up any 
remaining confusion to provide clarity for States like Ohio and 
others to ensure the integrity of the QRTP models so that youth 
and group care can get the evidence-based trauma-informed 
services they need, and perhaps bring in your experience 
implementing that model in Oregon and Maryland? Thank you.
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you, Senator. The issue is complex, 
and it is absolutely necessary for us to be partnering across 
CMS, child welfare, and within the departments.
    In Oregon, the partnership that I have had with the 
Medicaid Director, as well as our health department, has been 
critical to trying to both identify the appropriate services 
and the service array that children with complex needs need, 
and also do the problem-solving around how we actually make 
sure that we are in compliance with the Federal requirements, 
as well as our State statutes.
    My commitment is to work with CMS, if confirmed, and 
others, and to hear from States around what are the questions 
and the challenges that are being faced, and to find some 
resolution for being able to provide the clarity that is needed 
so that States can fully take advantage of Family First and, 
most importantly, children are able to get the services that 
they need in the manner that they need to get them.
    Senator Brown. Thank you. I plan to vote for your 
confirmation, and we will work on that, on those issues, 
together.
    My other question is for Ms. Contreras. It is nice to see 
you, and thank you for the conversation earlier. Research shows 
that racial disparities occur at nearly every major decision-
making point in our child-care system, from disproportionate to 
suspected maltreatment reports, to child protective services 
investigations, to out-of-home placements.
    There are a variety of factors that contribute to this 
disparity, as we know, including higher rates of poverty in 
under-represented communities, and including structural racism. 
Last week, ACF published various resources regarding its 
commitments to advancing racial equity for all, including 
preventive services, as a means of improving family well-being, 
decreasing potentially traumatic interventions, and building 
some kind of family resilience.
    The Family First Prevention Services Act has helped to 
encourage this important shift towards prioritizing prevention 
services. My questions, two questions together, and if you 
would, answer: how do you work to address these systemic 
disparities that exist in the child welfare system by improving 
prevention services through Family First? And how can Congress 
aid these efforts as we work on title IV-B reauthorization?
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you for the question, Senator. 
Prevention is the vision that this body passed through Family 
First, and I thank you for your leadership in passing Family 
First as a body.
    When it comes to equity, as you mentioned, ACF recently did 
make a commitment around equity. The racial disparities that 
occur in child welfare systems, and in other systems around 
ACF, are issues that we need to address.
    Number one, we need to pay attention to the data. We need 
to collect the data in the right way in working with State 
partners. And we need to pay attention to it. We cannot afford 
to look away. And number two, we need to support States in 
understanding what are some best practices. Here is what is 
happening in this jurisdiction that is a program that is really 
working, whether that is working with grandparents, kinship, 
whether that is working with communities in other ways. Number 
three, we really need to make sure we are building a diverse 
workforce of people who have different experiences, different 
lived experience, so that they are at the table.
    That brings new partnerships, new relationships, people who 
do not know they could have applied for grants in the past but 
are providing very exceptional services coming to the table.
    From my perspective, it is not taking our eye off the ball. 
You also asked about prevention services and the 
reauthorization that is coming up. If confirmed, my commitment 
is along those same lines. It is prevention. It is, how do we 
help States understand all the services that are available? How 
do we help States understand what works? How do we support them 
in taking advantage of all these services at a time when, as we 
discussed earlier in this hearing, they are experiencing 
workforce shortages and have a lot of issues themselves from 
the pandemic?
    You have my commitment, Senator, that I will be a partner 
with you in this work; that we will take racial disparities on; 
that we will look for creative ways from people who are working 
on this across the country; and that we will make prevention 
the center of what we are doing, because family well-being is 
the direction that we are committed to moving forward.
    Senator Brown. Thank you, Ms. Contreras. I plan to support 
your nomination, and we will work together. Thank you.
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Brown. And the nominees 
should know, when you say you will make kids the center of your 
work, that has been the center of Sherrod Brown's time in 
public service. So thank you so much, and I thank my colleague.
    Okay. We have been calling some audibles, and what we are 
going to do now, with the agreement of the members, is we will 
have Senator Casey, Senator Thune, and Senator Cassidy. And I 
think Senator Casey is online.
    Senator Casey, are you out there in cyberspace?
    Senator Casey. Yes, Mr. Chairman. Thanks very much. And I 
want to thank each of the nominees for their commitment to 
public service. It has never been more important to have 
committed individuals doing the work that you all are doing for 
children and families, and so much else.
    But I wanted to start with a question that I will direct at 
both Ms. Contreras and Ms. Jones Gaston regarding your roles 
overseeing a number of vital programs that relate to both 
children and families.
    As you know, children flourish when their needs across many 
domains are met. I outlined in early 2020 the five freedoms for 
America's children: the freedom to be healthy, the freedom to 
be economically secure, the freedom to learn, the freedom to be 
safe from harm, and the freedom from hunger.
    And as you know, within the Administration on Children and 
Families there are a number of programs that support these 
needs for children, including Head Start, child-care programs, 
child welfare, foster care, family violence prevention, and so 
much else. And here is my basic question. In your roles, how 
would each of you work to build bridges within HHS itself, as 
well as build bridges among States and community organizations 
that you fund, so that they can better coordinate programming 
for both children and families that they serve?
    We will start with Ms. Contreras.
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you, Senator, for that question. If I 
could start with an example, because it is exactly what you are 
talking about, I have represented many trafficking survivors in 
my career. I will give you an example of the first trafficking 
survivor I served.
    Her mother had serious mental health issues. Her father had 
serious substance abuse issues. She went into the foster care 
system. Ultimately, after several placements, she ran away from 
a group home, which is when she met her trafficker, whom she 
thought was her boyfriend, but quickly it became apparent he 
was not. And she was in a violent situation for a couple of 
years.
    I think all the things that you are speaking to and the 
promise that lives in Family First is to follow her journey. 
How could we have supported dad's substance abuse? How could we 
have supported mom in her mental health issues? How could we 
have worked to make sure that she did not have a traumatic 
experience in a group home?
    And the good news is, the homeless and runaway youth system 
that this Congress supports found her. The good news is, the 
trafficking grants that you have at ACF funded my organization 
to provide legal services to her. And the good news is, we are 
meeting kids, young adults, but our job and my priority, if 
confirmed, is that we are meeting them sooner, and that we are 
not forgetting that the real opportunity we have is to support 
those parents from day one when we can tell that they may be 
entering crisis. And, if confirmed, you have my commitment to 
work with you on that. Thank you again for that question.
    Senator Casey. Thank you.
    Ms. Jones Gaston?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you, Senator. Concrete supports are 
absolutely needed for meeting the needs, and the collaboration 
across agencies, organizations, and communities for meeting 
these needs. We know that almost half, if not a little more 
than half, of the families that become involved with child 
welfare become involved because of reasons around neglect. And 
those are oftentimes connected to consequences of the 
experience of poverty.
    And so, we need to be able to work with the organizations 
and the agencies and the departments, as well as with the 
congressional members like yourself, to get those concrete 
supports to the families and children that need them so that we 
are preventing maltreatment, preventing the unnecessary 
involvement with a child welfare agency, and moving deeper into 
a foster care system. Young people who are experiencing 
homelessness, family violence--all of those issues are 
critical. And the concrete supports to be able to help resolve 
some of those challenges are needed.
    The other thing that I would just mention briefly is that 
the partnership and hearing the voices of those young people, 
those parents, those families, is also critical to 
understanding what it is that is needed to be able to prevent 
maltreatments, prevent further involvement with the child 
welfare systems, and the experiences that people are having 
related to homelessness and family violence.
    And I look forward to partnering with you and members of 
this committee in continuing to look for solutions and 
supporting our families and children.
    Senator Casey. Well, thanks so much. What I will do is 
submit a question, as well, for the record to you regarding 
infant plans of safe care, and to Ms. Contreras regarding 
domestic violence and some of the legislation that we are all 
working on. But, Mr. Chairman, I want to turn it back over to 
you. Thank you very much.
    [The questions appear in the appendix.]
    The Chairman. Thank you, Senator Casey. And for our 
witnesses, Senator Casey also has had a long career of focusing 
on families and kids. So you are going to have a number of 
members on both sides of the aisle who are going to want to 
follow up with you.
    Senator Thune?
    Senator Thune. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thanks to our 
nominees for being here today.
    Ms. Contreras, as you know, Federal employees on or near 
our southern border have been tasked with addressing historic 
levels of migrants. Many of them have been taken into custody 
after crossing illegally, outside of legal points of entry, 
which has put a tremendous strain not only on the men and women 
of the Border Patrol, but on the resources dedicated to the 
children who end up in the custody of the Office of Refugee 
Resettlement.
    I do not mean to suggest that the unaccompanied children 
who are often trafficked to the United States are not 
vulnerable, but you would think that the services of ORR 
contribute to the pull factor of the unprecedented immigration 
pressures that we are seeing at the border.
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you for that question, Senator. When 
it comes to ORR, the responsibility of the ACF remains similar 
to our responsibility elsewhere, and that is trying to protect 
the children, their safety, as they are in our care.
    In regards to the ORR program, what I will be doing is 
trying to work to make sure that we are looking at the data. 
There are influxes that happen in the referrals to ACF, and we 
need to be prepared for that. And that will be my job, to make 
sure we are keeping them safe, and we are reuniting them with 
family, or placing them with embedded sponsors as soon as we 
safely can.
    Senator Thune. Well, and I hope you will look at the 
question of whether or not that is acting as an incentive, and 
one of the pull factors associated with the number of people 
who are currently coming.
    At the same time that ORR is responding to the border 
crisis, you will also be tasked with assisting a large 
population of Afghan arrivals. If confirmed, how will you 
deconflict the competition for resources? And will you ensure 
that resources will not be steered from our Afghan security 
partners in favor of the situation at the border?
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you for that question, Senator. If 
confirmed to this position, it will be my approach to make sure 
that we can keep moving forward on multiple fronts. That just 
comes with the job.
    The ACF staff and the staff at ORR take the 
responsibilities of both very seriously, and it will be my 
commitment to you that we are supporting Afghan refugees, the 
families and the children that come into our care, and working 
with our partners to provide the services that they need, at 
the same time as we are fulfilling our responsibilities to 
unaccompanied children.
    Senator Thune. If confirmed, you are going to be tasked 
with overseeing the Office of Head Start. And as you know, late 
last year Secretary Becerra published an Interim Final Rule 
mandating that all staff and volunteers in Head Start 
facilities be vaccinated and need to wear a mask. But they went 
beyond that. The rule, in my view, absurdly--absurdly--mandates 
that children as young as 2 years old must also be masked while 
at the Head Start facility, including while outside on the 
playground.
    I am wondering what your view on that is? Not even the 
World Health Organization recommends masking children under the 
age of 5, according to their analysis of science and data 
around this. They say it just does not have the impact on 
safety for children under 5.
    If confirmed, what will you do about that? Can you rescind 
this policy? It has obviously become a big issue for a lot of 
parents, administrators, teachers, and kids around the country.
    Ms. Contreras. Thank you, Senator. Head Start is a very 
important part of the responsibilities of ACF. And if 
confirmed, it will be my priority to work with States and 
localities and the providers on the ground to hear what they 
are experiencing, to hear how we can support them and their 
workforce.
    Because at the end of the day, the number one priority is, 
yes, we are protecting the health and safety of children and 
families and staff, but also that we are trying to help as many 
providers keep their doors open as possible in a safe way.
    Senator Thune. I would just urge you, as you do that, as 
you do examine that and you talk with providers and with the 
people, the stakeholder community, to really encourage allowing 
these decisions to be made by the States. I just do not know 
why the Federal Government is wading into having children as 
young as 2 years old have a requirement, even when they are 
outside, to wear a mask. It just does not make any sense, and 
even the World Health Organization, as I said, has come to that 
conclusion.
    Ms. Jones Gaston, South Dakota has a sizeable Native 
American population. Therefore, given your current role as 
Child Welfare Director for the State of Oregon, I imagine that 
part of your job includes interacting with Tribal leaders and 
families about how best to address matters affecting the safety 
and well-being of children on Native American reservations.
    Could you just share with the committee, if confirmed, how 
you would ensure Tribal Governments have a seat at the table, 
and more importantly, that the needs of families and children 
across Indian country are always given consideration?
    Ms. Jones Gaston. Thank you for that question, Senator. In 
my time in Oregon, I have been able to happily partner with the 
nine federally recognized Tribes that are in Oregon. And they 
have had a seat at the table with us in the development of the 
Vision for Transformation, in the development of our Family 
First Prevention Services Plan, and in fact are working side by 
side with us in our implementation of that plan. And we are 
actually, as the State, learning from their example in many 
ways about the way in which prevention services are provided to 
the community and to families.
    And I will continue, if confirmed, to be committed to 
partnering with Tribal Nations and Tribal communities to make 
sure that the services and programs under my purview are 
available, open, and in conversation with Tribal Nations to 
make sure that the things that are moving forward are in 
support of the well-being of Tribal children, and families as 
well.
    Senator Thune. Thank you.
    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    The Chairman. I thank my colleague. I am just going to make 
a very brief closing statement. I want to thank both colleagues 
who are here, Senator Crapo and Senator Thune, because they 
have been part of the effort in this committee to focus in a 
bipartisan way.
    Family First was a historic development. And we saw already 
from Ms. Jones Gaston the results, the 20-percent reduction in 
foster care placements, and the third kind of option in Oregon 
and around the country. You would not just have a kid in an 
unacceptable situation at home, or go into a placement, a 
foster care placement that was not going to work. You were 
going to do something different.
    And Family First was a bipartisan breakthrough. The CHRONIC 
Care bill, which we have referenced here today, would modernize 
the Medicare guarantee--that is you, Mr. Gordon. We are going 
to be able to play a pivotal role in it, recognizing that acute 
care is not the only part of health care today, but we are 
dealing with chronic disease. And yesterday, Senator Crapo and 
I showed that the Finance Committee is going to try to move in 
a bipartisan way on mental health, which is urgent--urgent--
business because, if we just go forward with business as usual 
on the mental health front, we could lose much of a generation.
    So what you had to say today, and being responsive to 
members on both sides of the aisle today, is very welcome. We 
look forward to considering your nominations. I intend to vote 
for all three of you. I am happy to vote for all three of you. 
And I would just like to thank all the members today for their 
participation.
    And regarding questions for the record, the deadline for 
members to submit QFRs will be this Friday, February 11th, at 5 
p.m. That 5 p.m. deadline, I would say to colleagues, is firm.
    We want to thank everyone for their cooperation. And with 
that, the committee is adjourned.
    [Whereupon, at 11:43 a.m., the hearing was concluded.]

                            A P P E N D I X

              Additional Material Submitted for the Record

                              ----------                              


  Prepared Statement of January Contreras, Nominated to be Assistant 
  Secretary for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human 
                                Services
    Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, members of the committee, 
thank you for considering my nomination to be the Assistant Secretary 
for Children and Families. I am grateful to President Biden for 
nominating me for this role and, if confirmed, will work diligently 
each day under his leadership and that of Secretary Becerra.

    Before beginning, I would like to thank my family. Here with me 
today are my youngest son and my sister. And watching from home are my 
wonderful husband of 27 years; my oldest son, who's in college; the 
woman who shaped me, my mother; my proud dad; his wife and my brother; 
and my aunts, uncles, and cousins. Without a doubt, watching over my 
shoulder are my nana and tata, my Fontes grandparents, whom I carry in 
my heart each day. I am always grateful to my family for supporting me 
in all that I do.

    Growing up, I was fortunate to learn the value of service and hard 
work from my own family. My grandfather was a paratrooper in World War 
II. My grandmother raised 11 children on a shoestring budget. I was 
born on Bergstrom Air Force Base in Texas, where my father served. By 
the time I was a toddler, we moved to Arizona, where my family has 
lived for generations.

    My parents both began long careers at the U.S. Postal Service, 
where they worked the second shift for most of my childhood. This meant 
my grandparents pitched in to help until I was old enough to stay home 
by myself. My sister was born when I was 11 years old. And my very 
first leadership role was launched when I began taking care of her a 
couple of years later--cooking her dinner and tucking her in every 
night. Being responsible for my sister's well-being gave me a deep 
sense of purpose that has stayed with me throughout my 25 years of 
public service.

    My public service career began as a prosecutor in the State of 
Arizona. I went on to serve as Assistant Director of our State Medicaid 
agency, one of the most cost-efficient, high-quality Medicaid programs 
in the country. I also served as a member of Governor Janet 
Napolitano's Cabinet when I led the Department of Health Services. In 
each of these roles, collaboration was key. I worked with diverse, 
bipartisan stakeholders including State, local, and Tribal Government 
leaders, advocacy organizations, health-care providers, faith-based 
organizations, and government contractors.

    I value my State agency experience because it's where I managed 
large organizations and budgets; it's where I learned how to bring 
talented teams together to achieve common objectives; and most 
importantly, it's where I first experienced the heavy responsibility of 
delivering results that make a difference in people's lives.

    In 2013, after a long career in government, I founded Arizona Legal 
Women and Youth Services or ALWAYS--an organization that provides life-
changing legal services to some of the most vulnerable people in my 
home State. The people ALWAYS serves are the same people the 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) serves: children in 
foster care, young adults who have transitioned out of foster care, 
youth who are homeless, unaccompanied children, and survivors of 
domestic violence and human trafficking. The mission of the ACF is my 
professional mission.

    If confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, 
I will work with the talented men and women of ACF to prioritize 
prevention and family well-being, including strengthening supports for 
grandparents and kinship caregivers. Congress laid a new way forward 
with the passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act, and I 
would work with colleagues in and outside of the Federal Government to 
live out the promise that Family First envisions. Throughout ACF 
programs, I would lead with a commitment to reduce racial disparities 
and to lift up whole-family and community-based strategies to increase 
safety, financial stability, and economic mobility for kids, youth and 
families, including accessible child care.

    Each time I have been entrusted with the responsibility of 
stewarding public resources and executing mission-critical services, I 
have been grateful. Each time I have been in these roles, I have 
remained focused on the faces I was entrusted to serve: children, 
youth, and families who need allies to help them thrive; trafficking 
and domestic violence survivors looking for safety and security; and 
families with low incomes looking for help to keep the lights on.

    If confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, 
I will remain focused on the faces ACF has been entrusted to serve. If 
confirmed, I am ready to get to work with every ACF colleague across 
the country to carry out this important mission.

    Thank you for your consideration of my nomination. I look forward 
to answering the questions that you have.

                                 ______
                                 

                        SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE

                  STATEMENT OF INFORMATION REQUESTED 
                               OF NOMINEE

                      A. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

 1.  Name (include any former names used): January Esquivel Contreras. 
Former: January Fontes Esquivel, January Joy Esquivel.

 2.  Position to which nominated: Assistant Secretary for Children and 
Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 3.  Date of nomination: January 7, 2022.

 4.  Address (list current residence, office, and mailing addresses):

 5.  Date and place of birth: January 15, 1971; Bergstrom Air Force 
Base, Austin, Texas.

 6.  Marital status (include maiden name of wife or husband's name):

 7.  Names and ages of children:

 8.  Education (list all secondary and higher education institutions, 
dates attended, degree received, and date degree granted):

        Westwood High School, Mesa, Arizona.
        Attended: August 1986-May 1988.

        University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
        Attended: August 1988-May 1993.
        Bachelor of Arts, May 1993.

        University of Arizona, College of Law, Tucson, Arizona.
        Attended: August 1994-December 1996.
        Juris Doctor, December 1996.

 9.  Employment record (list all jobs held since college, including the 
title or description of job, name of employer, location of work, and 
dates of employment for each job):


------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Title/Description of       Employer and
          Job                  Location        Start Date     End Date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transition Advisor       Arizona Legal Women       7/2021       10/2021
                          and Youth Services
                          (ALWAYS), Phoenix,
                          Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Director/      Arizona Legal Women      11/2018        7/2021
 Chief Executive          and Youth Services
 Officer                  (ALWAYS), Phoenix,
                          Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Executive Director/      Arizona Legal Women      10/2013       10/2017
 Chief Executive          and Youth Services
 Officer                  (ALWAYS), Phoenix,
                          Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contract Attorney        Self-Employed,            7/2013       12/2014
                          Phoenix, Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contract Policy Advisor  Fred Duval for            2/2013       12/2014
                          Governor, Phoenix,
                          Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lecturer                 Barret Honors             5/2013        6/2013
                          Summer Scholar
                          Program, Arizona
                          State University,
                          Tempe, Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chief Operating Officer/ Halle Center for         12/2012        7/2013
 Interim Director         Family Justice,
                          Arizona State
                          University,
                          Phoenix, Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Office of the            U.S. Department of       11/2009        4/2012
 Citizenship and          Homeland Security,
 Immigration Services     Washington, DC
 Ombudsman
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Advisor to the    U.S. Department of        3/2009       11/2009
 Secretary                Homeland Security,
                          Washington, DC
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Director                 Arizona Department        7/2008        1/2009
                          of Health
                          Services, Phoenix,
                          Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Senior Health Advisor    Office of the             7/2006        7/2008
 to the Governor          Governor, Phoenix,
                          Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assistant Director and   Arizona Health Care      12/2004        7/2006
 Legislative Liaison      Cost Containment
                          System, Phoenix,
                          Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Assistant Attorney       Office of the             9/2000        5/2003
 General                  Attorney General,
                          Fraud and Public
                          Corruption
                          Section, Phoenix,
                          Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Deputy County Attorney   Maricopa County           9/1997        9/2000
                          Attorney's Office,
                          Trial Bureau,
                          Phoenix, Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Customer Service         Temporary agency            1997          1997
 Representative           placement at Bank
                          of America,
                          Phoenix, Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Customer Service         Temporary agency            1995          1995
 Representative           placement at Days
                          Inn, Phoenix,
                          Arizona
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Broadcast Associate      Ventura County News         1993          1994
                          Network, Oxnard,
                          California
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sales Associate          Macy's, Ventura,            1993          1993
                          California
------------------------------------------------------------------------


10.  Government experience (list any current and former advisory, 
consultative, honorary, or other part-time service or positions with 
Federal, State, or local governments held since college, including 
dates, other than those listed above):

        City of Tucson Housing Department Domestic Violence/Human 
        Trafficking Service Standards Work Group, 2021.

        Arizona Supreme Court Task Force on Juvenile Sex Trafficking, 
        2017.

        City of Phoenix Judicial Selection Commission, 2015-2017.

        United States National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and 
        Security, Supporting Agency role, Deputy Secretary's Designee, 
        2011.

        White House Council and Women and Girls, Secretary's Designee, 
        2009-2012.

        Governor's Children Cabinet, 2006-2009.

        Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board, 2008-
        2009.

11.  Business relationships (list all current and former positions held 
as an officer, director, trustee, partner (e.g., limited partner, non-
voting, etc.), proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any 
corporation, company, firm, partnership, other business enterprise, or 
educational or other institution):

        Vitalyst Health Foundation: Board of Directors, 2019-present.

        Technical Assistance Partnership of Arizona: Board of 
        Directors, 2019-present.

        Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services: Board of Directors, 
        2013-December 2021; Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, 
        2013-2017 and 2018-2021.

        Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network: Board of Directors, 2019-
        2021.

        Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence: Board of 
        Directors, 2012-2017.

        Los Abogados Hispanic Bar Association: Board Member for 10+ 
        years between 1996-2013; member, 1996-present.

        Contreras Law Office, PLC: Principal, 2013-2015.

        Mujer, Inc.: Board of Directors, 1999-2002.

12.  Memberships (list all current and former memberships, as well as 
any current and former offices held in professional, fraternal, 
scholarly, civic, business, charitable, and other organizations dating 
back to college, including dates for these memberships and offices):

        State Bar of Arizona: Member, 1997-present.

        Fostering Arizona Advocates: Advisory board, 2016-present.

        Hispanic National Bar Association: Member, 2021-present.

        National Association of Counsel for Children: Member, 2021-
        present.

        International Women's Forum: Member, 2017-present.

        International Women's Forum--Arizona: Member, 2017-present.

        Arizona Partnership to End Domestic Trafficking: Steering 
        Committee, 2014-2018.

        National Latino Children's Institute, Summit Steering 
        Committee, 2012, Summit Co-Chair and Summit Steering Committee, 
        2013-2014.

        Hispanic National Bar Association Law Student Division, 
        Regional President, 1995-1996.

        Latino Law Student Association, Co-President, 1994-1995.

        Mortar Board Honorary, 1991-1992.

        Minority Action Council, 1989-1992.

        Chi Omega, Member, 1989-1992.

13.  Political affiliations and activities:

        a.  List all public offices for which you have been a candidate 
        dating back to the age of 18.

       Attorney General, State of Arizona, 2018.

        b.  List all memberships and offices held in and services 
        rendered to all political parties or election committees, 
        currently and during the last 10 years prior to the date of 
        your nomination.

       Arizona Democratic Party, precinct committeeman, 2017-present.

       Arizona Democratic Party, State Committee Member, 2018-2020.

        c.  Itemize all political contributions to any individual, 
        campaign organization, political party, political action 
        committee, or similar entity of $50 or more for the past 10 
        years prior to the date of your nomination.

      See table.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Contribution Description               Date            Amount
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obama for America                            2/23/2012             $100
                                             8/28/2012             $100
                                             11/1/2012              $60
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyrsten Sinema for Congress                  8/21/2012             $150
                                             11/2/2012             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carmona for Arizona                          9/27/2012             $250
                                            10/26/2012             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ron Barber for Congress                     10/24/2014              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mary Rose Wilcox for Congress                3/31/2014             $100
                                             5/20/2014             $150
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirkpatrick for Arizona                     10/24/2014              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary for America                         10/16/2016             $250
                                             7/30/2016             $100
                                             10/3/2016              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirkpatrick for Senate                       9/15/2016             $400
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyrsten Sinema for Congress                  7/30/2016              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gallego for Arizona                          6/29/2016             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary Victory Fund                        10/16/2016             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirkpatrick for Senate                       5/27/2015              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gallego for Congress                         8/31/2015             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyrsten Sinema for Congress                  8/31/2015              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom O'Halleran for Congress                 10/13/2016              $55
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary for America                          7/30/2016             $100
                                             10/3/2016              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gallego for Congress                         6/30/2019             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mark Kelly for Senate                         6/9/2019              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Biden for President                          4/28/2020             $250
                                            10/12/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stanton for Congress                        12/31/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hirai for Congress                          10/20/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Montanans for Bullock                        11/3/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Register Her!                                9/27/2021             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yassamin Ansari for City Council             2/21/2021             $150
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arena 527                                    12/1/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eric Kurland for Arizona                    10/18/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coral 4 AZ                                  10/18/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gabriella for Recorder                      10/12/2020              $50
                                             6/24/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Peten for People First                      10/12/2020             $100
                                             9/26/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mendoza for Arizona                          9/26/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephanie Stahl Hamilton for State           9/26/2020              $50
 Senate
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adam Ragan for TUSD                          9/14/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul for Arizona                              7/3/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
AJ for State Senate                           7/3/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adelita for Supervisor                        7/3/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Berdetta Hodge for Tempe School Board        6/27/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arizona Coalition for Change                  6/3/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aaron Conner for Treasurer                   5/24/2020              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whitney for Maricopa County                  3/31/2020             $100
                                             8/23/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vania Guevara for City Council                5/3/2019             $150
                                              2/6/2019             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vania Guevara for City Council              12/15/2017             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raquel Teran for Arizona Legislature        11/23/2017             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Penzone for Sheriff                           8/8/2016             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Debbie Nez-Manuel for Arizona                12/7/2019             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Francisca Montoya for Phoenix                1/30/2020             $200
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jevin Hodge for Supervisor                   5/13/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adrian Fontes for County Recorder            2/28/2020             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rex Scott for Supervisor                    11/23/2019             $100
------------------------------------------------------------------------

14.  Honors and awards (list all scholarships, fellowships, honorary 
degrees, honorary society memberships, military medals, and any other 
special recognitions for outstanding service or achievement received 
since the age of 18):

        Rosa Carrillo Torres Humanitarian Award, Valle Del Sol, 2021.

        Heart of Justice Champion, Arizona Legal Women and Youth 
        Services, 2021.

        Legal Aid Attorney of the Year, State Bar of Arizona, 2020.

        YWCA Tribute to Leadership Award, 2020.

        Judge Learned Hand Public Service Award, American Jewish 
        Committee, 2017.

        Mujer Leadership Luminaria, 2016.

        Outstanding Woman in Business, Phoenix Business Journal, 2016.

        Outstanding Mentor, Phoenix Business Journal, 2016.

        Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Racial Justice Institute 
        Fellowship, 2016.

        National Hispana Leadership Institute, Executive Leadership 
        Fellow, 2013.

        Top Forty Under 40, Phoenix Business Journal, 2008.

        40 Hispanic Leaders Under 40, AZ Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 
        2008.

        Dean's Achievement Award, University of Arizona, College of 
        Law, 1994.

        Mary Anne Richey Scholarship, Arizona Women Lawyers 
        Association, 1995.

        Outstanding Senior Robie Medal, University of Arizona, 1993 
        Commencement.

        Outstanding Senior, University of Arizona, 1993 Hispanic 
        Convocation.

        Outstanding Junior Woman of the Year, Mortar Board, 1992.

        National Hispanic Scholarship Fund, 1991, 1992 (approximately).

15.  Published writings (list the titles, publishers, dates, and 
hyperlinks (as applicable) of all books, articles, reports, blog posts, 
or other published materials you have written):

        Youth Today, Vulnerable youth need justice, and legal aid needs 
        community, September 23, 2021: https://youthtoday.org/2021/09/
        vulnerable-youth-need-justice-and-legal-aid-needs-community/.

        Arizona Mirror, Prosecutors must be held accountable for 
        charging protesters as gang members, March 1, 2021: https://
        www.azmirror.com/2021/03/01/prosecutors-must-be-held-
        accountable-for-charging-protesters-as-gang-members/.

        Arizona Mirror, I worked at Homeland Security. Actions ignore 
        constitutional basics, September 16, 2020: https://
        www.azmirror.com/2020/09/16/i-worked-at-homeland-security-the-
        agencys-shocking-actions-ignore-constitutional-basics/.

        Arizona Daily Star, Epstein is dead, sex trafficking is not, 
        August 14, 2019: https://tucson.com/opinion/local/arizona-
        opinion-epstein-is-dead-sex-trafficking-is-not/
        article_cc60792d-73a7-50c2-8e6b-7b32d49902bc.html.

        Arizona Daily Star, We must live the Declaration of 
        Independence, July 4, 2018: https://tucson.com/opinion/local/
        january-contreras-we-must-live-the-declaration-of-independence/
        article_3be11533-37a4-5378-be51-00509c747faf.html.

        Real Clear Policy, Obamacare Lawsuit Threatens Arizonans' 
        Health Care, January 27, 2018: https://www.realclearpolicy.com/
        articles/2018/09/27/obamacare
        _lawsuit_threatens_arizonans_health_care_110827.html.

        Arizona Republic, Arizona Licenses Banned Deferred Action 
        Immigrants, September 19, 2013 (link is no longer available).

        White House blog message, November 3, 2011: https://
        obamawhitehouse.
        archives.gov/blog/2011/11/03/continuinq-advance-our-work-
        combating-domestic-violence-and-other-crimes.

        White House blog message, January 3, 2012: https://
        www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/03/department-homeland-
        security-releases-u-visa-law-enforcement-certification-
        resource-.

        2010 Ombudsman Annual Report to Congress: https://www.dhs.gov/
        sites/default/files/publications/
        cisomb_2010_annual_report_to_congress.pdf.

        2011 Ombudsman Annual Report to Congress: https://www.dhs.gov/
        sites/default/files/publications/cisomb-annual-report-2011.pdf.

16.  Speeches (list all formal speeches and presentations (e.g., 
PowerPoint) you have delivered during the past 5 years which are on 
topics relevant to the position for which you have been nominated, 
including dates):


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Speech Forum                             Date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
City of Phoenix Human Trafficking Commission                     5/2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coalition for Juvenile Justice Racial Disparities               11/2019
 Conference
------------------------------------------------------------------------
State Bar of Arizona Human Trafficking Training                  4/2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern Arizona Homeless Youth Summit                           4/2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Association for the Education of Homeless              11/2016
 Children and Youth Conference
------------------------------------------------------------------------
State Bar of Arizona Domestic Violence Training                 10/2016
------------------------------------------------------------------------


17.  Qualifications (state what, in your opinion, qualifies you to 
serve in the position to which you have been nominated):

        For more than 20 years, I have served the public by leading 
        nonprofit and government agencies and prosecuting crimes of 
        abuse and exploitation to protect the safety and health of 
        children, vulnerable adults, and families. As part of these 
        roles, I have directly supported survivors of child abuse, 
        child neglect, domestic violence, human trafficking, and youth 
        homelessness. I have also developed and implemented rules, 
        regulations, budgets, laws, policies, and programs to better 
        serve the public. I have chosen to take on these roles because 
        I believe deeply that every person and child should live in 
        safety, be treated with dignity, and have an opportunity to 
        build a secure future.

        These same beliefs are what led me to build a legal aid center 
        8 years ago, from the ground up. While leading this 
        organization, I worked with courts and agencies to empower 
        families and individuals during their most difficult moments. 
        This experience instilled in me a sense of urgency to 
        strengthen support and protections for children and families, 
        such as those passed in the bipartisan Family First Prevention 
        Services Act. When a family in crisis can turn to an efficient 
        and reliable safety net, they are better equipped to get back 
        on their feet, and their children can be better supported and 
        protected. When prevention is the focus and a crisis can be 
        avoided altogether, the better off a child, a family, and our 
        communities will be.

        In my home State of Arizona, I was a member of Governor Janet 
        Napolitano's Children's Cabinet and the Arizona Early Childhood 
        Development and Health Board, which worked to strengthen access 
        to quality child care, early education, and health services to 
        empower families as they prepare children for success in school 
        and life. I also served as the leader of the Arizona Department 
        of Health Services and an Assistant Director of the State's 
        Medicaid agency. In these leadership roles, I worked with 
        committed colleagues to deliver high-quality services that make 
        a difference in the lives of Arizonans in efficient and cost-
        effective ways. To achieve results, we remained guided by 
        bipartisan collaboration and evidenced-based policy 
        development; the same values needed to cut through bureaucracy 
        in any government setting.

        During the Obama-Biden administration, I led the Office of the 
        Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman at the U.S. 
        Department of Homeland Security, where we launched innovative 
        programs and digital services to increase the value of the 
        office to the public and stakeholders. The success we had would 
        not have been possible without partnerships. If there is one 
        thing I have learned throughout my career, it is that the most 
        effective Federal agencies are good-faith partners to community 
        leaders on the ground and to State, local, Tribal, and 
        territorial governments. In my role at the OHS and in other 
        roles prior and since, I have placed high value on input from 
        community members, local leaders, front-line staff, first 
        responders, law enforcement, and faith-based organizations who 
        carry out a shared mission in their own communities in every 
        corner of our country.

        I am grateful to have been entrusted, time and again, with the 
        responsibility of stewarding public resources and executing 
        mission-critical services. Each time I am afforded this 
        responsibility, I remain focused on the faces of those I am 
        entrusted to serve, whether a child who is missing their 
        family, a grandfather in need of access to his cancer 
        treatment, or a trafficking survivor seeking safety and a new 
        start. If entrusted with the responsibilities of the Assistant 
        Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families at 
        the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I will work 
        collaboratively and with a sense of urgency each day to empower 
        safe and thriving families and children. For me, there is no 
        professional duty more worthy.

                   B. FUTURE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS

 1.  Will you sever all connections (including participation in future 
benefit arrangements) with your present employers, business firms, 
associations, or organizations if you are confirmed by the Senate? If 
not, provide details.

        Yes.

 2.  Do you have any plans, commitments, or agreements to pursue 
outside employment, with or without compensation, during your service 
with the government? If so, provide details.

        No.

 3.  Has any person or entity made a commitment or agreement to employ 
your services in any capacity after you leave government service? If 
so, provide details.

        No.

 4.  If you are confirmed by the Senate, do you expect to serve out 
your full term or until the next presidential election, whichever is 
applicable? If not, explain.

        Yes.

                   C. POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 1.  Indicate any current and former investments, obligations, 
liabilities, or other personal relationships, including spousal or 
family employment, which could involve potential conflicts of interest 
in the position to which you have been nominated.

        Any potential conflict of interest will be resolved in 
        accordance with the terms of my ethics agreement, which was 
        developed in consultation with ethics officials at the 
        Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
        Government Ethics. I understand that my ethics agreement has 
        been provided to the committee. I am not aware of any potential 
        conflict other than those addressed by my ethics agreement.

 2.  Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial 
transaction which you have had during the last 10 years (prior to the 
date of your nomination), whether for yourself, on behalf of a client, 
or acting as an agent, that could in any way constitute or result in a 
possible conflict of interest in the position to which you have been 
nominated.

        Any potential conflict of interest will be resolved in 
        accordance with the terms of my ethics agreement, which was 
        developed in consultation with ethics officials at the 
        Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
        Government Ethics. I understand that my ethics agreement has 
        been provided to the committee. I am not aware of any potential 
        conflict other than those addressed by my ethics agreement.

 3.  Describe any activity during the past 10 years (prior to the date 
of your nomination) in which you have engaged for the purpose of 
directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or modification 
of any legislation or affecting the administration and execution of law 
or public policy. Activities performed as an employee of the Federal 
Government need not be listed.

        House Bill 2055, Arizona Legislature, advocated for passage of 
        this bill, 2019.

        Senate Bill 1422, Arizona Legislature, advocated for passage of 
        this bill, 2017.

        Signed on to letters supporting passage of Family First 
        Prevention Services Act, 2016-2018.

        Signed on to letters in support of increased funding for victim 
        support via the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), the Victims 
        of Crime Act (VOCA), and the Family Violence Prevention and 
        Services Act (FVPSA), 2015-2020.

        Signed on to letter in support of funding for the Legal 
        Services Corporation (LSC), 2017.

 4.  Explain how you will resolve any potential conflict of interest, 
including any that are disclosed by your responses to the above items. 
(Provide the committee with two copies of any trust or other 
agreements.)

        Any potential conflict of interest will be resolved in 
        accordance with the terms of my ethics agreement, which was 
        developed in consultation with ethics officials at the U.S. 
        Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
        Government Ethics. I understand that my ethics agreement has 
        been provided to the committee. I am not aware of any potential 
        conflict other than those addressed by my ethics agreement.

 5.  Two copies of written opinions should be provided directly to the 
committee by the designated agency ethics officer of the agency to 
which you have been nominated and by the Office of Government Ethics 
concerning potential conflicts of interest or any legal impediments to 
your serving in this position.

        I understand that my ethics agreement has been provided to the 
        committee.

                       D. LEGAL AND OTHER MATTERS

 1.  Have you ever been the subject of a complaint or been 
investigated, disciplined, or otherwise cited for a breach of ethics 
for unprofessional conduct before any court, administrative agency 
(e.g., an Inspector General's office), professional association, 
disciplinary committee, or other ethics enforcement entity at any time? 
Have you ever been interviewed regarding your own conduct as part of 
any such inquiry or investigation? If so, provide details, regardless 
of the outcome.

        No.

 2.  Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by any 
Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority for a violation of 
any Federal, State, county, or municipal law, regulation, or ordinance, 
other than a minor traffic offense? Have you ever been interviewed 
regarding your own conduct as part of any such inquiry or 
investigation? If so, provide details.

        No.

 3.  Have you ever been involved as a party in interest in any 
administrative agency proceeding or civil litigation? If so, provide 
details.

        I have not been named as a party in personal litigation. I have 
        been named as a party in litigation in my official capacity as 
        Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services.

 4.  Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo 
contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic 
offense? If so, provide details.

        No.

 5.  Please advise the committee of any additional information, 
favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be considered in 
connection with your nomination.

        N/A.

                     E. TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS

 1.  If you are confirmed by the Senate, are you willing to appear and 
testify before any duly constituted committee of the Congress on such 
occasions as you may be reasonably requested to do so?

        Yes.

 2.  If you are confirmed by the Senate, are you willing to provide 
such information as is requested by such committees?

        Yes.

                                 ______
                                 
        Questions Submitted for the Record to January Contreras
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Ron Wyden
                             mental health
    Question. One cross-cutting issue the Finance Committee is looking 
into is mental health. This week, we hosted the Surgeon General to hear 
specifically about his recent advisory on youth mental health. This is 
going to be a major priority for the committee moving forward, both in 
terms of continuing to implement the Family First Prevention Services 
Act and looking forward to the reauthorization of title IV-B child 
welfare programs by the end of this Congress.

    Can you address how you will prioritize youth mental health needs 
in your work implementing Family First, and within the title IV-B 
programs?

    Are there other initiatives focused on youth mental health you plan 
to implement?

    Answer. I believe ACF is uniquely positioned to play a key role in 
addressing the youth mental health crisis in this country. If 
confirmed, I would work to break down silos among various ACF programs, 
including child welfare, runaway and homeless youth, Community Service 
Block Grants, and early childhood to comprehensively address youth 
mental health and support whole family approaches to wellness. I would 
also support ACF's leadership role on the HHS Behavioral Health 
Coordinating Committee Subcommittee on Youth and Children, including 
its focus on identifying opportunities to support resilience in 
children and youth affected by trauma and disasters, including the 
COVID-19 pandemic. The upcoming reauthorization of IV-B and the 
continued implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act 
provide important opportunities to focus on prevention and family well-
being. In addition, if confirmed, I would work with SAMHSA, CDC, and 
others to target our resources and address mental health and the 
impacts of adverse childhood experiences and trauma, in particular, 
more effectively. I look forward to partnering with you on this issue.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell
    Question. One of the harsh realities that the COVID-19 pandemic 
exposed is the lack of affordable child care options in the United 
States. During the pandemic, parents, mostly women, were forced to 
balance online learning, their own jobs, taking care of their children, 
and many other tasks.

    This has led to women quitting the workforce in unprecedented 
numbers during the pandemic so that they can take care of the needs of 
their families. According to the National Women's Law Center, women in 
the United States have lost more than 5.4 million net jobs since 
February, 2020.

    In Washington State and many other parts of the country, child care 
was already difficult to find even before COVID-19. Some parents end up 
having to place their children on wait lists while others can't find 
any affordable or available options.

    It is estimated that the average cost of licensed infant care can 
consume about 20 percent of an average Washington family's income. The 
child-care industry in my home State is also facing high staff turnover 
caused by low wages and other concerns.

    The lack of child care does not just take a toll on women and 
families, but also on the economy. I have supported legislation to 
provide tax credits for working families who may need help paying the 
cost of child care. I was also pleased to see that the House-passed 
Build Back Better Act included a $100-billion investment to support 
high-quality child care.

    We must explore more options to improve child care access in the 
United States to make families' lives easier, and also to help with the 
social and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In your opinion, what are the main causes of the child care 
shortage today? How has COVID-19 made the situation worse?

    Answer. If confirmed, I want to partner with you to bring 
affordable, high-quality child care within reach for all families. The 
COVID-19 pandemic has placed a severe strain on our child-care system, 
which relied on razor-thin margins to stay open. Providers are faced 
with increased costs to pay for PPE, cleaning supplies, and 
ventilation, as well as staff shortages and turnover. These challenges 
mean it can be hard for families to find and afford the care they need.

    Question. If confirmed, how would you work to improve affordable 
child-care access through your respective roles? What approach would 
you take to fix this issue?

    Answer. A stable child-care sector is essential for both the 
healthy development of children and the ability of parents to fully 
participate in the workforce. If confirmed, I would listen to providers 
to understand their needs, and work across ACF programs and with 
Congress to strengthen support for child-care providers and families to 
address this issue.

                                 ______
                                 
            Question Submitted by Hon. Robert P. Casey, Jr.
                       domestic violence programs
    Question. Family and domestic violence programs provide essential 
support to help people leave unsafe relationships and reestablish their 
lives. With Senator Murkowski, I am working to reauthorize the Family 
Violence Prevention and Services Act, the main Federal funding stream 
for emergency shelter and assistance for victims of family violence, 
including children of victims of domestic violence. Our legislation 
includes improvements to allow these programs to address the large 
unmet demand for services.

    Based on your prior experience, how will you work in this role to 
ensure that we are reaching victims of family violence and 
strengthening the services we provide to them?

    Answer. Thank you for co-leading reauthorization of the Family 
Violence Prevention and Services Act. During my career, I have 
represented many victims of intimate partner violence and worked to 
provide the services victims and survivors need to increase safety and 
to rebuild their lives. ACF's family violence work is a critical part 
of the agency's mission, and if confirmed, I would look forward to 
enhancing the delivery of services to victims of domestic violence, 
including through ensuring that services are accessible to all victims 
and that they are delivered in a culturally competent manner.

                                 ______
                                 
             Questions Submitted by Hon. Sheldon Whitehouse
    Question. How can the Administration for Children and Families work 
to improve housing stability for families and young adults living in 
unstable or unsafe housing or who are homeless?

    Answer. All families and young people deserve the security of 
having a safe place to call home. ACF plays a significant role in 
providing services to children and families experiencing homelessness. 
If confirmed, I commit to working within ACF, and with partner agencies 
such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other 
partners, to ensure our most vulnerable children, youth, and families, 
including those experiencing homelessness, are supported.

    Question. Do you agree it is important to embed a focus on 
diversity, cultural competency, and equity in the programs administered 
by ACF? How will you incorporate these metrics into your evaluations of 
programs administered by ACF?

    Answer. The Biden-Harris administration and Secretary Becerra are 
committed to advancing equity and support for underserved communities, 
as reflected in the executive order the President signed on his first 
day in office, ``Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved 
Communities Through the Federal Government.'' I agree this focus is 
important, and if confirmed, I will strive to advance this goal in all 
ACF work so that we can deliver services and programming in the ways 
that best make a positive difference in the lives of the children and 
families we serve. I would also work to advance ACF's recent 
Information Memorandum, Equity in Action: Prioritizing and Advancing 
Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities, which outlines 
ACF's unequivocal commitment to address disparities.

    Question. What is your position on increasing flexibility for 
States to provide benefits youth and young adults under the Chafee 
Foster Care for Successful Transition to Adulthood Program? What is 
your position on extending benefits to young adults exiting foster care 
as was provided through the Division X of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act of 2021? Do you see this initiative as requiring 
additional funding?

    Answer. The supports offered by the Chafee program for older foster 
youth and those transitioning out of care can be the difference between 
former foster youth going to college or getting a job and youth ending 
up without a roof over their heads. No youth should exit foster care to 
homelessness. The increased resources and flexibilities Congress 
provided have been critical, and if confirmed, I would work to examine 
what worked among those flexibilities and hear from those young people 
about their experiences.

    Question. If confirmed, how will you expand the list of evidence-
based programs that qualify for reimbursement under the Family First 
Prevention Act (title IV-E) program?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will work to ensure that the title IV-E 
Prevention Services Clearinghouse has adequate resources to be able to 
review and rate programs that support child and family well-being in a 
timely manner. I believe this must include programs that are focused 
specifically on serving historically underserved communities. I will 
also support the continued development of evidence-based practices 
through support of quality evaluation.

    Question. Are there any additional wraparound services that the 
Federal Government should provide to support families where a parent 
has a SUD?

    'Answer. If confirmed, I will work across ACF programs and with 
other entities within HHS, including SAMHSA, to support families 
impacted by substance use disorder. In addition, I am committed to 
fully implementing the Family First Prevention Services Act to deliver 
evidence-based supports to more parents struggling with substance use 
disorder.

    Question. If confirmed, what steps would you take to provide 
parents with the tools to protect their children from counterfeit pills 
and other narcotics?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will work with other Operating Divisions 
within the Department, including FDA, SAMHSA, and the CDC, to 
counteract the impacts of illicit drug use on the children and families 
ACF serves.

                                 ______
                                 
           Questions Submitted by Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto
    Question. Local jurisdictions are working hard to get Family First 
programs off the ground. So many of the challenges they face don't need 
a statutory change, but rather willing agency partners. Will you commit 
to working with those States and counties to ensure that the 
administration is doing everything possible to support a smooth 
implementation process?

    Answer. If confirmed, successful implementation of the Family First 
Prevention Services Act will be a top priority. This law represents a 
unique opportunity to re-orient our child welfare system toward 
prevention and family well-being. I am committed to working with 
States, counties, Tribes, and other partners to provide the guidance 
and technical assistance needed for all communities to benefit from 
this law.

    Question. Recently, the Finance Committee heard from Dr. Vivek 
Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, about the children's mental health 
crisis. What do you see as your role in addressing kids' mental health 
needs? Based on your previous experience, where can we do better in 
breaking down silos between Federal programs and arming you with the 
resources you'll need?

    Answer. If confirmed, I would work across ACF programs and with 
other Operating Divisions within the Department, including SAMHSA and 
the CDC, to integrate support for youth mental health and addressing 
childhood trauma into all of our work. ACF is uniquely positioned to 
reach families and young people where they are and connect them with 
the supports they need to address mental health needs. I look forward 
to partnering with you on this important issue.

                                 ______
                                 
              Questions Submitted by Hon. Elizabeth Warren
    Question. Having founded the Arizona Legal Women and Youth 
Services, which provides legal representation to unaccompanied children 
and other vulnerable young people, you undoubtedly understand the 
importance of legal representation for unaccompanied children. 
Unfortunately, many unaccompanied children in immigration proceedings 
lack attorneys.

    In an oversight hearing in the House of Representatives last year, 
Acting Assistant Secretary of ACF JooYeun Chang affirmed the importance 
of legal representation for unaccompanied children and committed to 
working with Congress to ensure legal representation for all 
unaccompanied children.

    If confirmed as Assistant Secretary of ACF, do you similarly commit 
to working to ensure legal representation for all unaccompanied 
children, and to requesting robust funding from Congress for this 
purpose?

    Answer. Ensuring equitable access to justice is the heart of my 
career. If confirmed, the safety and well-being of unaccompanied 
children referred to ACF's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) will be 
a top priority, and that includes doing everything possible to provide 
access to legal representation for children referred to ORR. If 
confirmed, I will work with Congress as well as the non-profit sector 
to increase access to legal representation for unaccompanied children 
and be transparent with Congress about the resources required to do so.

    Question. Following their release from ORR custody to the care of 
family members, unaccompanied children must prepare their legal cases 
and attend immigration proceedings, often while coping with significant 
trauma and a range of transitions. Post-release case management 
services, including social services supports, medical and mental health 
services, and family reunification support, can provide children with 
much-needed assistance.

    If confirmed as Assistant Secretary of ACF, what steps will you 
take to ensure that all children have access to vital post-release 
services?

    Answer. Children referred to ORR have often experienced significant 
trauma in their lives. Many children are fleeing unimaginable violence 
in their home countries and have endured a long journey to the United 
States by themselves. If confirmed, I am committed to protecting the 
safety and well-being of all children referred to ORR. The provision of 
post-release services is a critical part of the work that ORR does for 
care to unaccompanied children, and if confirmed, I will work with you 
and other partners to enhance the scope of those services, expand the 
provision of services to reach more children and families, and be 
transparent with Congress about the resources required to do so.

    Question. To date, some unaccompanied children are leaving ORR care 
following placements in temporary facilities or emergency intake sites 
that lack comprehensive services. If confirmed, what steps will you 
take to ensure that these children are quickly connected to post-
release services upon reunification with a sponsor to ensure that they 
can obtain legal orientation, representation, and other social services 
supports?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will work to protect the safety and well-
being of all children referred to ORR, and that includes ensuring that 
all types of placements adhere to the law, are appropriate places for 
children, and follow child welfare best practices. Under my leadership, 
I would endeavor to expand ORR's traditional licensed bed capacity, 
including focusing on family-based foster care, in order to reduce 
ORR's reliance on emergency intake sites. So long as emergency intake 
sites are required, I will work to ensure they can provide 
comprehensive services to care for unaccompanied children. ACF has a 
legal and moral obligation to provide care to the children referred to 
ORR, and I take those obligations very seriously.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Mike Crapo
    Question. According to the Adoption Foster Care Analysis Reporting 
system, the foster care system has served over 600,000 children each 
year for the past 10 years. For many States, faith-based organizations 
provide the majority of child welfare services to these foster 
children. In order to best prioritize the well-being and safety of this 
vulnerable population, the Federal Government must continue to 
collaborate and support a wide variety organizations dedicated to 
providing these services.

    Can you please speak to the important role that faith-based 
providers play in the child welfare system?

    Answer. Faith-based providers are critical to the child welfare 
system. Throughout my career, I've worked closely with the faith 
community and understand how essential they are to our safety net. Our 
Nation's vulnerable children and families are best served with a robust 
network of providers ready to support them. If confirmed, I look 
forward to listening to and working closely with faith-based providers.

    Question. If confirmed, how will you communicate and collaborate 
with faith-based organizations and providers, so they can continue to 
help serve this vulnerable community?

    Answer. Faith-based providers are critical to the child welfare 
system. Throughout my career, I've worked closely with the faith 
community and understand how essential they are to our safety net. If 
confirmed, I look forward to listening to and working closely with 
faith-based providers.

                                 ______
                                 
                Questions Submitted by Hon. John Cornyn
                                uacs/orr
    Question. As Assistant Secretary for Children and Families at HHS, 
you would oversee the Office of Refugee Resettlement. ORR is charged 
with the care and placement of unaccompanied migrant children 
apprehended along the southwest border. In 2015, the HSGAC Permanent 
Subcommittee on Investigations published a report that identified a 
number of incidents in which children were placed with abusive 
sponsors.

    In one incident, HHS placed a number of children into the hands of 
a ring of human traffickers who then forced them to work on egg farms 
in Ohio.

    In another incident, a Guatemalan boy was placed with the partner 
of his maternal uncle. The uncle and his partner forced the boy to work 
without pay for 4 months, and threatened to accuse him of viewing child 
pornography if he did not continue working. No background check was run 
on the uncle.

    Last year, the administration terminated a Memorandum of Agreement 
(MOA) between HHS and the Department of Homeland Security. Under that 
MOA, ORR had been required to request information from ICE about all 
potential sponsors and adult members of potential sponsor's households 
before making a placement.

    While I understand that undocumented members of potential sponsors' 
households may be nervous about submitting to a background check, we 
really need to prioritize the safety of the children here. As Assistant 
Secretary, what actions would you take to ensure that potential 
sponsors and all adult members of their households are properly vetted?

    Answer. The core of my career has focused on protecting the most 
vulnerable people in our society, including immigrant children. If 
confirmed, the safety and well-being of all unaccompanied children 
referred to ORR will be a top priority. Ensuring these children's 
safety and well-being is both the legal duty and moral obligation of 
ACF. ACF is required to release children to an appropriate and vetted 
sponsor without unnecessary delay and in a manner consistent with the 
law. When a child enters care, I will focus on placing the child safely 
with their parents, relatives, or other sponsors as expeditiously as 
possible and require all necessary background checks and other 
safeguards in the sponsor assessment process to protect the child's 
safety and ensure the appropriateness of the placement.
                              foster youth
    Question. You will be charged with carrying out policies impacting 
foster youth. These individuals are among the most vulnerable 
Americans, and we need to make sure the foster care system works for 
them, not the other way around.

    Sadly, we have thousands of children in the foster care system who 
go missing each year. In 2019, there were a total of 423,997 children 
in foster care. Of that population, about 1 percent or 4,115 children 
were designated as ``runaway.'' Some foster care advocacy groups do not 
think these data on runaways are accurate as some cases are 
preemptively closed out, even though many of those children are likely 
to return. However, the data is not conclusive and remains incomplete.

    Fortunately, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting 
System (AFCARS) will soon be updated to more accurately reflect where a 
child stands in the foster care system. I plan on sending the 
administration a letter regarding this change and how we can get this 
up and running as soon as possible. I am also working on draft 
legislation to create a feedback loop from States to ACF, which will 
provide technical assistance at the Children's Bureau to update best 
practices on preventing and mitigating runaway episodes as well as 
caring for missing and runaway foster youth.

    How do you plan to address the issue of missing and runaway foster 
youth?

    Answer. I strongly believe in the importance of data and evidence 
in driving decisions in the child welfare system and doing what is in 
the best interests of children. If confirmed, I will work with you to 
continue to ensure that AFCARS is collecting and reporting data that 
will help us to keep children safe and move us toward a system of child 
and family well-being. It is critical that we both account for children 
who have left their placements and understand why they have left so we 
can provide the support they need to stay safe. You have my commitment 
to work on this issue with you.

    Question. If confirmed, will you prioritize accelerating the update 
to AFCARS and provide Congress with periodical progress reports?

    Answer. If confirmed, I commit to keeping you and the committee up 
to date about all programs within ACF. I understand the critical 
importance of AFCARS and would look forward to working closely with you 
on all needed updates to the system.

                                 ______
                                 
                Question Submitted by Hon. Richard Burr
    Question. If you are confirmed, you will play a key role in the 
development of Federal policy related to youth in the child welfare 
system.

    Senator Feinstein and I have introduced a bill to ensure that 
foster children placed in qualified residential treatment programs, or 
QRTPs, with more than 16 beds would not lose eligibility for Medicaid 
because of an antiquated law often called the ``IMD exclusion.''

    QRTPs are required by law to have a trauma-informed treatment model 
designed to address the clinical needs of foster children with serious 
emotional or behavioral issues. In other words, these programs are 
legally required to provide a clinically-appropriate level of care for 
vulnerable foster children who are in serious need of such care.

    Do you believe that children receiving treatment in QRTPs should 
lose their Medicaid coverage if that QRTP has more than 16 beds?

    Answer. If confirmed, I am committed to listening to States, 
counties, and providers about challenges and opportunities related to 
the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act, 
including the Qualified Residential Treatment Program provisions. Given 
the complex interactions with Medicaid, I am committed to working with 
CMS and other parts of the Department to provide clear and responsive 
guidance to the field. My top priority will be ensuring that children 
receive the type of care they need in a setting that is most 
appropriate to the delivery of that care. If confirmed, I look forward 
to working with you on this issue.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Tim Scott
    Question. The recommended child care provisions in President 
Biden's Build Back Better agenda changes the law to mandate that faith-
based providers comply with Federal laws, which will force providers to 
choose between their religious mission and Federal dollars.

    If confirmed, will you commit to ensuring that faith-based 
providers are able to fully participate in the child care system 
without having to compromise their religious missions in your capacity 
as Assistant Secretary for Family Support?

    Answer. Faith-based providers are critical to the child welfare 
system. Throughout my career, I've worked closely with the faith 
community and understand how essential they are to our safety net. Our 
network of providers must be as robust as possible to meet the needs of 
kids and families. If confirmed, I look forward to listening to and 
working closely with faith-based providers.

    Question. Additionally, President Biden's proposal will undermine 
the parent-
driven mixed delivery system that is already in place by favoring 
grants and contracts to Head Start centers and public schools over 
certificates that allow parents to choose for themselves where to send 
their child. Parents, not government, know their children best and 
should have access to high-quality, affordable child-care options which 
include community-based centers, family child care homes, private 
providers, or faith-based providers.

    If confirmed, will you commit to working on behalf of parents to 
ensure affordable access to child care options and opposing any 
proposals that would limit such options?

    Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working to increase access 
to high-quality, affordable child care options for all families.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. James Lankford
                          unaccompanied minors
    Question. The Biden administration walked back certain vetting 
requirements for sponsors of unaccompanied minors. Can you walk me 
through your understanding of these requirements and whether you agree 
with the Biden administration's decisions?

    Answer. If confirmed, the safety and well-being of unaccompanied 
children referred to ORR will be a top priority. Ensuring these 
children's safety and well-being is both the legal duty and moral 
obligation of ACF. ACF is required to release children to an 
appropriate and vetted sponsor without unnecessary delay and in a 
manner consistent with law. When a child enters care, I will focus on 
placing the child safely with their parents, relatives, or other vetted 
sponsors, as expeditiously as possible and require all necessary 
background checks and other safeguards in the sponsor assessment 
process to protect the child's safety and ensure the appropriateness of 
the placement.

    Question. A record number of unaccompanied minors crossed the 
border last year, and we've begun seeing reports that some of these 
minors after they are released from ORR custody are being placed in 
labor trafficking situations. Reuters had an in-depth investigation 
earlier this week about minors being trafficked to work on poultry 
farms. If confirmed, what will your plan be to address this situation?

    Answer. I have spent a good part of my career representing victims 
of trafficking, and if confirmed, I will work to protect all the 
children served by ACF from the horrors of trafficking. I will work 
with experts within ACF as well as within other Departments to ensure 
we are implementing best practices to prevent and respond to 
trafficking and that we are leaving no stone unturned when it comes to 
protecting children in our care.

    Question. ORR and DHS (ICE and CBP) have historically had a bad 
working relationship when it comes to the care and custody of 
unaccompanied minors. Do you believe ICE plays an important role in 
caring for unaccompanied minors? If confirmed, what steps will you take 
to fix this relationship?

    Answer. Yes, I agree that inter-departmental relationships are 
critical when unaccompanied children are referred to ORR, including 
their timely transfer to ORR care and custody. If confirmed, I would 
work to establish strong channels of communication with the Department 
of Homeland Security to ensure that children referred to ACF can be 
quickly and safely moved to a setting that adopts child welfare best 
practices. As a former senior leader within DHS, I would bring that 
experience to bear.

    Question. ORR often faces issues with ``age-outs'' and young adults 
who lie about their age to be placed in ORR custody. If confirmed, what 
steps will you take to ensure that only minors receive care under ORR's 
custody?

    Answer. If confirmed, I am committed to following the law while 
managing the unaccompanied children's program and that includes 
ensuring we are only serving individuals eligible for the unaccompanied 
children's program and following Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act requirements when making prompt age determinations.

    Question. I am still waiting on a data request that my office 
placed in September for the number of children ORR was unable to locate 
after they were released. The latest data we saw indicated that ORR 
lost track of 1 out of every 3 kids released from sponsors. Again, that 
data is over 6 months old. Do you think the Biden administration's 
policies at ORR are to blame for this situation? What efforts will you 
take to improve this situation moving forward?

    Answer. I am committed to being responsive to congressional 
inquiries and believe in the critical oversight role that Congress 
plays within our system of checks and balances. If confirmed, I will be 
responsive to congressional requests.

    Question. During his time in the Obama administration, then-Deputy 
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called on Congress to reform the 
Flores settlement agreement to better address the flow of unaccompanied 
minors to the southwest border. If confirmed, do you commit to working 
with Congress to fix the Flores settlement agreement?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will follow the law and am committed to 
partnering with Congress to ensure our ability to safely care for all 
unaccompanied children referred to ACF.
                           human trafficking
    Question. Human trafficking and child exploitation have continued 
to be issues that families and children in our Nation face, 
particularly vulnerable children in foster care or who are 
experiencing. If confirmed, what will you do to prevent and combat 
child sexual exploitation and human trafficking?

    What can we do on the front end to decrease the demand for human 
trafficking?

    Answer. A focus of my career has been combatting human trafficking, 
and I will always carry with me the experiences of clients who have 
been victims of trafficking. If confirmed, I will work closely with 
each component of ACF to incorporate anti-trafficking efforts into our 
programs, particularly in child welfare. In addition, I would listen to 
survivors about what would have made a difference in their situation, 
and I would bring those lessons to ACF programs. Responding to human 
trafficking is essential, but we must also prioritize preventing this 
crime and the conditions that make survivors vulnerable in the first 
place. I look forward to working closely with you on this issue.
                       faith-based child welfare
    Question. Faith-based child welfare providers perform vital 
services for hundreds of thousands of foster children nationwide and 
are often the best at finding forever homes for children in need. 
According to HHS's AFCARS report, 407,493 children are in foster care, 
117,470 of whom are waiting to be adopted.

    Unfortunately, one day before the 2021 AFCARS report came out, HHS 
announced the rescission of waivers that were previously granted to 
faith-based adoption and foster care agencies in Michigan, Texas, and 
South Carolina, which put providers in these States in the untenable 
position of choosing between serving children or operating in 
accordance with the tenets of their faith.

    Earlier this year, the Supreme Court unanimously validated the 
principle that religious adoption agencies have a right to be free from 
discriminatory exclusion from adoption and foster care programs because 
of their beliefs in Fulton v. Philadelphia. The Supreme Court found 
that ``the refusal of Philadelphia to contract with Catholic Social 
Services for the provision of foster care services unless it agrees to 
certify same-sex couples as foster parents cannot survive strict 
scrutiny, and violates the First Amendment.'' However, HHS and the 
Biden administration appear to be ignoring the Court's clear direction 
that religious foster care agencies cannot be shut down because of 
their religious beliefs.

    A number of my colleagues and I wrote to Secretary Becerra on this 
issue last year, but we have yet to receive a response

    Do you agree that our primary goal should be safe, loving, and 
permanent placements for all children?

    Answer. Yes.

    Question. Do you agree that faith-based adoption and foster care 
agencies should be able to continue to partner with the government to 
serve children and families without sacrificing their sincerely held 
religious beliefs?

    Answer. Faith-based providers are critical to the child welfare 
system. Throughout my career, I've work closely with the faith 
community and understand how essential they are to our safety net. If 
confirmed, I look forward to listening to and working closely with 
faith-based providers.

    Question. Do you agree that without faith-based providers, our 
Nation would be unable to properly care for the number of children in 
need of homes and families?

    Answer. Faith-based providers are absolutely essential to our child 
welfare system.

    Question. If confirmed, will you commit to maintaining the notice 
of non-
enforcement for the 2016 grants rule and disavow its enforcement moving 
forward?

    Answer. It is my understanding that this is an issue that spans 
across the Department. If confirmed, I will look into how the 
Department is addressing this issue and report back to Congress. I also 
commit to doing everything in my power, if confirmed, to ensure that 
grantees and their beneficiaries are not unfairly discriminated 
against.

    Question. If confirmed, will HHS exclude from the title IV-E 
program religious adoption and foster care providers that cannot assist 
in the placement of children in same-sex households without violating 
their religious exercise when those households have alternative 
providers available to assist them in the State?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will follow the law. I will also work 
closely with faith-based providers so that children and families have a 
strong network of support.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. John Barrasso
    Question. Faith-based organizations play an important role in the 
child welfare system. The actions of the Biden administration are 
making it more difficult for these groups to participate in the 
process. This continues a troubling pattern of the Department of Health 
and Human Services discriminating against people and organizations of 
faith.

    On November 18, 2021, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Office 
for Civil Rights (OCR), announced it was withdrawing waivers previously 
granted under the Trump administration. Please explain your position on 
this decision.

    Please describe how you will help faith-based groups participate in 
the child welfare process and identify previous professional 
experiences where you have specifically worked with faith-based groups.

    Please describe how you will ensure faith-based organizations will 
not have to violate their own religious beliefs to participate in 
Federal programs.

    Answer. Faith-based providers are critical to the child welfare 
system. Throughout my career, I've worked closely with the faith 
community and understand how essential they are to our safety net. If 
confirmed, I look forward to listening to and working closely with 
faith-based providers.

    Question. Rural States and communities face unique challenges when 
delivering governmental services.

    Please describe specific instances and experiences where you have 
improved the delivery of social services in rural communities?

    Explain how, if confirmed, you will ensure the policies of the 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will take into account 
the unique needs of rural States and people.

    Answer. Ensuring equitable access to ACF programs for rural 
communities is critical. If confirmed, I would partner with rural 
communities to identify barriers to accessing ACF programs and would be 
committed to thinking creatively to solve those problems and meet the 
needs of children and families in rural communities. During my career, 
I have worked with rural communities and have seen firsthand the issues 
caused by long distances to service providers, lack of reliable 
Internet, and staffing challenges for many providers. In Arizona, I 
worked within and outside of government to increase support for access 
to health-care providers such as family physicians and health-care 
centers in rural counties. I would bring that experience to ACF if I am 
fortunate enough to be confirmed.

    Question. As the former chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs 
Committee, ensuring American Indian and Alaska Native children receive 
the help and support they need is an important personal priority of 
mine.

    Can you please identify previous professional experiences and 
actions where you worked with tribal communities?

    Can you please identify specific policies and ways you plan on 
working with tribal communities if confirmed?

    Answer. Thank you for raising the importance of working with tribal 
communities. If confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for the 
Administration for Children and Families, I will prioritize working 
with tribal communities to advance the well-being of Native American 
children and families. As an Assistant Director of Arizona's Medicaid 
agency, an advisor to Governor Janet Napolitano, and as the leader of 
the Arizona Department of Health Services, I consistently developed 
relationships with tribal leaders centered in meaningful consultation 
and government-to-
government relationships. If confirmed, I will work with tribal 
communities to reduce concerning disparities and support the delivery 
of ACF services and programs that can make a difference in tribal 
communities of every size. I will work closely with the ACF 
Administration for Native Americans to coordinate and personally 
participate in consultation sessions and roundtables with tribal 
leaders, visit tribal communities, and ensure that ACF is a responsive 
partner in supporting Native American children and families throughout 
the country.

    Question. The Department of Health and Human Services, 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) previously issued a rule 
entitled ``Vaccine and Mask Requirements to Mitigate the Spread of 
COVID-19 in Head Start Programs.''

    Do you believe the scientific data supports the masking of young 
children to participate in Head Start?

    If you believe the masking of young children is justified, please 
provide specific medical or scientific studies to support this 
position.

    Answer. Head Start is a vital resource to many underserved 
communities around the country. If confirmed, keeping Head Start 
Centers open and safe will be a top priority. I would prioritize 
listening to the needs and concerns of Head Start providers and 
families to ensure ACF is providing the guidance and support they need 
to keep students safe and in classrooms, while also following Centers 
for Disease Control (CDC) guidance for masking.

    Question. The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly difficult on 
children who lost the ability to attend in-person school. Teachers are 
classified as mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect under 
State law, since they are in such frequent and close contact with 
children.

    From a child welfare perspective, can you explain your position on 
the importance of in-person learning?

    Answer. Schools and the supports that students receive in schools 
are an important part of the safety net for children and families. 
Children do best when they can safely access a full range of supports, 
including those provided by in-person learning.

    Question. Human trafficking is a tragedy and must be stopped. The 
actions of the Biden administration are only making the situation 
worse, especially along our southern border. With that being said, the 
Administration for Children and Families plays an important role 
combating human trafficking.

    Can you please identify specific policies you believe Congress 
should consider that would improve the ability of ACF to combat and 
provide assistance to victims of human trafficking?

    Answer. A focus of my career has been combatting human trafficking, 
and I will always carry with me the experiences of clients who have 
been victims of trafficking. If confirmed, I will work closely with 
each component of ACF to incorporate anti-trafficking efforts into our 
programs, particularly in child welfare. A central way to combat 
trafficking is to address the housing and economic instability that 
make many survivors targets for trafficking predators. In providing 
assistance to survivors, housing and shelter, legal services, and 
mental health support are all services that I have seen help survivors 
move forward to build stability for themselves, and their families. 
Survivor-led services can be key in addressing trauma. In addition, I 
would listen to survivors about what would have made a difference in 
their situation, and I would bring those lessons to ACF programs. I 
look forward to working closely with you on this issue.

                                 ______
                                 
                Prepared Statement of Hon. Mike Crapo, 
                       a U.S. Senator From Idaho
    Today's nominees will have significant responsibilities overseeing 
programs that affect some of the most vulnerable populations in 
America.

    As Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, Mr. Gordon would 
have a critical role in stewarding resources across the breadth of 
HHS's programs. I look forward to hearing his views on how HHS can 
improve its service delivery to provide more effective care in programs 
that affect nearly every American.

    If confirmed, Ms. Contreras and Ms. Jones Gaston would oversee 
programs that protect and support children and youth. I am eager to 
hear how these nominees propose improving service delivery toward these 
particularly at-risk groups.

    I urge all the nominees to be forthcoming in this discussion, in 
all questions for the record, and, should they be confirmed, in the 
roles to which they have been nominated. Congress is a critical partner 
to the work of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the 
programs you may oversee are of unique importance. Working in a 
bipartisan way with the members of the Finance Committee, we have the 
opportunity to evaluate and implement policies that better serve the 
American people.

    Once again, I congratulate the nominees here today and look forward 
to this discussion.

                                 ______
                                 
Prepared Statement of Robert Michael Gordon, Nominated to be Assistant 
   Secretary for Financial Resources, Department of Health and Human 
                                Services
    Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, members of the committee, 
thank you for considering my nomination to be the Assistant Secretary 
for Financial Resources at the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS). I am honored by President Biden's decision to nominate 
me, and I look forward, if confirmed, to serving under the leadership 
of Secretary Becerra.

    Before beginning, I would like to thank my family for their love 
and support. My wife Catherine and older son Silas are here today.

    Government funding decisions each day make an enormous difference 
to millions of Americans in every corner of the country. For all of us, 
government must run as effectively and efficiently as possible. If 
confirmed, I will use data, evidence, and evaluation to make government 
deliver results, strengthen the integrity and transparency of taxpayer-
funded programs, and advance equity.

    This has been the work of my career, spanning 3 decades in Federal, 
State, and local governments, in leadership roles handling health and 
human services, and in key positions managing budget and finance. For 
more than 4 years, I served as a senior official at the U.S. Office of 
Management and Budget, including as Acting Deputy Director. While at 
OMB I played a key part in launching evidence-based initiatives at four 
Federal agencies. These included HHS's Maternal, Infant, and Early 
Childhood Home Visiting program, which now funds 19 service delivery 
models supported by solid evidence. Together with HHS leadership, 
including the official in the role for which I am nominated, I also 
worked to develop the Head Start recompetition, innovations in child 
welfare, and improvements in programs for the aging.

    In this period, I also helped negotiate bipartisan budget 
agreements to keep the government open and the country from defaulting 
on its debts. And I had particular responsibility for program integrity 
investments to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.

    The private and nonprofit sectors offer important lessons for 
government. After leaving OMB and becoming the senior vice president of 
finance and global strategy for the nonprofit College Board, I worked 
as part of a team to reform procurement processes, cut organizational 
costs, and drive technology changes that improved services for students 
and schools alike.

    That experience informed my work as the director of the Michigan 
Department of Health and Human Services, an agency with 14,000 
employees and a $27-billion budget. I played a key part in the State's 
response to COVID-19, expanded access to health coverage, drove 
improvements in child welfare programs, increased use of effective 
approaches to mental health and substance use disorders, and cut 
technology costs while improving customer service.

    One of my proudest accomplishments in Michigan was ending severe 
delays in delivery of Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 
Program (SNAP) benefits. When I arrived, the State had just rolled out 
a flawed new system which meant that more than 30 percent of 
Michiganders in some rural counties were not receiving needed help 
within the required 30 days. Legislators in both parties were angry, 
and rightly so. In partnership with extraordinary colleagues, we 
listened to front-line staff, improved technology, shifted work 
patterns, and held ourselves accountable with a public dashboard 
showing our progress each week. Within a few months, rural counties 
were performing as well as others, and we went on to simplify and 
improve the delivery of benefits in ways that earned national praise. 
Should I be confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, I 
would apply the same performance focus at HHS.

    As the response to COVID-19 continues, the work of HHS has never 
been more important. And it has never been more personal for me. Among 
more than 900,000 Americans who have died from COVID was my father, 
Alan Gordon. A psychiatrist who spent decades working on behalf of 
homeless individuals and ex-offenders, he inspired me to public 
service.

    I would be honored to play my part, as HHS's chief financial 
officer, in sustaining a robust COVID response--and in strengthening so 
many vital HHS programs--from cancer research to the Indian Health 
Services to Medicare. Should I be confirmed, I would work with 
President Biden, Secretary Becerra, and members of Congress to fund 
health and human services programs that work.

    Thank you again for considering my nomination. I look forward to 
your questions.

                                 ______
                                 

                        SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE

                  STATEMENT OF INFORMATION REQUESTED 
                               OF NOMINEE

                      A. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

 1.  Name (include any former names used): Robert Michael Gordon.

 2.  Position to which nominated: Assistant Secretary for Financial 
Resources, Department of Health and Human Services.

 3.  Date of nomination: September 20, 2021.

 4.  Address (list current residence, office, and mailing addresses):

 5.  Date and place of birth: June 9, 1971; New York, NY.

 6.  Marital status (include maiden name of wife or husband's name):

 7.  Names and ages of children:

 8.  Education (list all secondary and higher education institutions, 
dates attended, degree received, and date degree granted):

        Yale Law School.
        Dates Attended: 9/1995-6/1998.
        Degree Received: Juris Doctor.
        Date Degree Granted: 6/1998.

        Harvard University.
        Dates Attended: 9/1989-6/1994.
        Degree Received: Bachelor of Arts.
        Date Degree Granted: 6/1994.

        Dalton School.
        Dates Attended: 9/1985-6/1989.
        Degree Received: H.S. Diploma.
        Date Degree Granted: 6/1989.

 9.  Employment record (list all jobs held since college, including the 
title or description of job, name of employer, location of work, and 
dates of employment for each job):

        See chart.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Dates of
     Employer            Title            Location         Employment
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Center on Budget   Senior Counselor   Washington, DC    May 2021-present
 and Policy                            (remote)
 Priorities
------------------------------------------------------------------------
University of      Public Service     Ann Arbor, MI     February 2021-
 Michigan Law       Scholar                              present
 School
------------------------------------------------------------------------
University of      Senior Advisor     Ann Arbor, MI     February 2021-
 Michigan Poverty                                        present
 Solutions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Self-Employment    Consultant *       Okemos, MI        March February
                                                         2021-present
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michigan           Director           Lansing, MI       January 2019-
 Department of                                           January 2021
 Health and Human
 Services
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The College Board  Senior Vice        Washington, DC    March 2015-
                    President,                           January 2019
                    Global Strategy
                    and Finance
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Department    Acting Assistant   Washington, DC    September 2014-
 of Education       Secretary,                           March 2015
                    Office of
                    Planning,
                    Evaluation and
                    Policy
                    Development
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Self-Employment    Consultant*        Washington, DC    April 2013-
                                       (based)           September 2014
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Office of     Acting Deputy      Washington, DC    January 2009-
 Management and     Director;                            March 2013
 Budget             Executive
                    Associate
                    Director;
                    Associate
                    Director,
                    Education,
                    Income
                    Maintenance, and
                    Labor
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Self-Employment    Consultant*        Washington, DC    August 2007-
                                                         December 2008
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York City      Managing Director  New York, NY      May 2006-June
 Department of      for Resource                         2007
 Education          Allocation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Center for         Senior Vice        Washington, DC    January 2005-
 American           President;                           PMay 2006
 Progress           Senior Fellow
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Senate/       Legislative        Washington, DC    November 2004-
 Senator John       Director                             PJanuary 2005
 Edwards
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kerry/Edwards      Domestic Policy    Washington, DC    April 2004-
 2004               PDirector                            PNovember 2004
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Edwards for        Policy Director    Raleigh, NC       July 2003-PMarch
 PPresident                                              2004
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Senate/       Legislative        Washington, DC    September 2001-
 Senator John       Director/Counsel                     PJuly 2003
 Edwards
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Supreme       Law Clerk          Washington, DC    July 2000-July
 Court/Justice                                           2001
 Ruth Bader
 Ginsburg
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Legal Aid Society/ Skadden Fellow/    Bronx, NY         July 1999-June
 PJuvenile Rights   Staff Attorney                       2000
 PDivision
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Court of      Law Clerk          New York, NY      August 1998-
 Appeals, 2nd                                            PAugust 1999
 Circuit/Judge P.
 N. Leval
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Department    Intern             Washington, DC    June 1998-
 of Justice,                                             PAugust 1998
 Civil Rights
 Division
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bredhoff and       Summer Associate   Washington, DC    July 1997-
 Kaiser                                                  PAugust 1998
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Washington         Intern             Washington, DC    June 1996-July
 Lawyers'                                                1996
 Committee for
 Civil Rights and
 Urban Law
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professors Paul    Research           New Haven, CT     September 1996-
 Gewirtz, Jerry     Assistant                            PMay 1997
 Mashaw, Jean Koh
 Peters, Yale Law
 School
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Attorney's    Intern             Brooklyn, NY      July 1996-
 POffice, EDNY                                           PAugust 1996
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Department    Intern             Washington, DC    June 1996-July
 of Justice,                                             1996
 Office of Legal
 Counsel
------------------------------------------------------------------------
White House        Policy Analyst     Washington, DC    January 1995-
 National                                                PJuly 1995
 Economic Council
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporation for    Special Assistant  Washington, DC    November 1994-
 National and                                            PJanuary 1994
 Community
 Service
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Robb for     Speechwriter       Maclean, VA       September 1994-
 PSenate                                                 PNovember 1994
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Corporation for    Special Assistant  Washington, DC    June 1994-
 National and                                            PSeptember 1994
 Community
 Service
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Individual consulting clients listed under Question 11.


10.  Government experience (list any current and former advisory, 
consultative, honorary, or other part-time service or positions with 
Federal, State, or local governments held since college, including 
dates, other than those listed above):

        None other than above.

11.  Business relationships (list all current and former positions held 
as an officer, director, trustee, partner (e.g., limited partner, non-
voting, etc.), proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any 
corporation, company, firm, partnership, other business enterprise, or 
educational or other institution):

        I have served as a consultant or contractor to the following 
        organizations (alphabetical within each time period):

        2021
        Boston Consulting Group.
        Code for America.
        Results for America.
        Schmidt Futures/Federation of American Scientists.

        2013-2014
        America Achieves.
        The College Board.
        Teach for All.
        The Next Generation, Inc. (Too Small to Fail).
        Results for America.

        2007-2008
        Center for American Progress (Senior Fellow).
        Freedman Consulting.
        The Fund for Educational Excellence (Baltimore City Public 
        Schools).
        Gates Foundation.
        New York City Department of Education.
        Student Achievement Partners.

12.  Memberships (list all current and former memberships, as well as 
any current and former offices held in professional, fraternal, 
scholarly, civic, business, charitable, and other organizations dating 
back to college, including dates for these memberships and offices):

        See table.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
   Name of Organization      Dates of Membership        Position Held
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Schmidt Futures            2021-present             Innovation Fellow
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Michigan Public Health     2019-2021                Board Member
 Institute
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Results for America        2017-2019                Board Member and
                                                     Treasurer
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Achievement Network,       2017-2019                Board Member
 Limited
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Urban Institute            2018-2019                Nonresident Fellow
------------------------------------------------------------------------
J.B. and M.K. Pritzker     2013-2014                Member
 Early Childhood
 Accelerator Advisory
 Committee
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical Advisory Group   2013-2014                Member
 of the Campaign for
 Grade-Level Reading
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brookings Institution      2013-2014                Guest Scholar
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Center for American        2005, 2007-2008          Senior Fellow
 Progress
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EdLabs                     2007-2008                Creative Board
                                                     Member
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NGA Advisory Committee on  2007-2008                Member
 Teacher Effectiveness
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Music National Service     2007-2008                Board Member
 Initiative
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New York State Bar         1999-Present             Member
------------------------------------------------------------------------


13.  Political affiliations and activities:

        a.  List all public offices for which you have been a candidate 
        dating back to the age of 18.

       N/A.

        b.  List all memberships and offices held in and services 
        rendered to all political parties or election committees, 
        currently and during the last 10 years prior to the date of 
        your nomination.

       N/A.

        c.  Itemize all political contributions to any individual, 
        campaign organization, political party, political action 
        committee, or similar entity of $50 or more for the past 10 
        years prior to the date of your nomination.

        See table.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Contribution Description               Date            Amount
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Pannill Fletcher for              10/28/2018              $50
 Congress
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leslie Cockburn for Congress                10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Committee to Elect Jared Golden             10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spanberger for Congress                     10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Dan Feehan                       10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Dan Feehan                       10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Harder for Congress                         10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clarke Tucker for Congress                  10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elect Carolyn Long                          10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spanberger for Congress                     10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cindy Axne for Congress                     10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leslie Cockburn for Congress                10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amy McGrath for Congress                    10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Pannill Fletcher for              10/28/2018              $50
 Congress
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elaine for Congress                         10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TJ Cox For Congress                         10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Williams for Montana                        10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paul Davis for Kansas                       10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aftab for Ohio                              10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyse for Alaska                            10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brindisi for Congress                       10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xochitl for New Mexico                      10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Linda Coleman for Congress                  10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Committee to Elect Jared Golden             10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Committee to Elect Richard Ojeda            10/28/2018              $50
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Pannill Fletcher for              10/21/2018             $250
 Congress
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lauren Underwood for Congress               10/21/2018             $500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Committee to Elect Jared Golden             10/21/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colin Allred for Congress                   10/21/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kristen Carlson for Congress Committee      10/21/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Dan Feehan                       10/21/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brendan Kelly for Southern Illinois         10/14/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Katie Hill for Congress                     10/14/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elissa Slotkin for Congress                 10/06/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Heidi for Senate                            09/15/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bredesen for Senate                         09/15/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Spanberger for Congress                     09/04/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leslie Cockburn for Congress                09/04/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Malinowski for Congress                 09/04/2018             $500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Katie Porter for Congress                   09/04/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Colin Allred for Congress                    7/10/2018             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Indivisible Action                          06/07/2018          $12,500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Gina Raimondo                    04/17/2018             $500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Gina Raimondo                    02/11/2018           $1,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doug Jones for Senate Committee             12/06/2017             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doug Jones for Senate Committee             11/11/2017             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Perriello Campaign Committee             02/062017             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Gina Raimondo                    09/24/2017             $500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Gina Raimondo                    02/22/2017             $500
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kelly Gonez for School Board                11/01/2016           $1,100
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary Victory Fund                        09/15/2016           $2,200
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary for America                         09/15/2016           $2,200
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary Victory Fund                        09/06/2016             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary for America                         09/06/2016             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary for America                         08/21/2016             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary Victory Fund                        08/21/2016             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillary for America                         01/16/2016           $1,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lesser Committee                            11/18/2015              $75
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Gina Raimondo                    03/01/2014           $1,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends of Gina Raimondo                    07/18/2013           $1,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obama for America                           10/17/2012           $1,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obama Victory Fund 2012                     10/17/2012           $1,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kate Anderson for School Board                    2012             $250
------------------------------------------------------------------------


14.  Honors and awards (list all scholarships, fellowships, honorary 
degrees, honorary society memberships, military medals, and any other 
special recognitions for outstanding service or achievement received 
since the age of 18):

        Skadden Fellow: 1998-1999.

        Summa Cum Laude, Phil Beta Kappa, John Harvard Scholarship, 
        Harvard University: 1993-1994.

15.  Published writings (list the titles, publishers, dates, and 
hyperlinks (as applicable) of all books, articles, reports, blog posts, 
or other published materials you have written):

        ``A Progressive Vision Is Possible If We Spend Money 
        Thoughtfully Now,'' N.Y. Times, April 29, 2021 (w/M. Jolin), 
        https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/29/opinion/American-rescue-
        plan-kids-lead-use-money-wisely.html.

        ``Grateful to Have Served,'' Medium, March 2, 2021, https://
        gordonrobert.
        medium.com/grateful-to-have-served-738586290412.

        An order that can save lives from COVID-19, MDHHS website, 
        October 2021 (as MDHHS Director), https://www.michigan.gov/
        mdhhs/0,5885,7-339-73970_71692-541432--,00.html.

        ``Changes Big and Small: What's Needed in the Fight Against 
        Poverty,'' April 2020 (first given as a speech discussed here) 
        (as MDHHS Director), https://poverty.umich.edu/files/2020/07/
        PovertySolutions-ChangesBigAndSmall-Policy
        Report-r2.pdf.

        ``Michigan's Plan to Improve Behavioral Health Care,'' Detroit 
        Free Press, December 4, 2019 (as MDHHS Director), https://
        www.detroitnews.com/story/opin
        ion/2019/12/04/opinion-michigans-plan-improve-health-care/
        2595973001/.

        ``Does Brett Kavanaugh Agree with Bush v. Gore?,'' The 
        Atlantic, August 30, 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/
        archive/2018/08/does-brett-kava
        naugh-agree-with-bush-v-gore/568420/. 

        ``Yes We CCCan,'' Democracy Journal, Summer 2018, https://
        democracy
        journal.org/magazine/49/yes-we-cccan/.

        ``Courage and Grace in Puerto Rico,'' Medium, October 24, 2017, 
        https://medium.com/@rgordon--75288/for-more-than-50-years-the-
        college-board-has-had-an-office-based-in-puerto-rico-
        8595467ab6f4.

        ``What Happened to Teen Pregnancy Prevention?'', Democracy 
        Journal, May 25, 2017, https://democracyjournal.org/briefing-
        book/what-happened-to-teen-pregnancy-prevention/.

        ``An Abdication at OMB,'' Democracy Journal, May 2, 2017, 
        https://democracyjournal.org/briefing-book/an-abdication-at-
        omb/.

        ``The Trump Administration's Misleading Embrace of `Evidence,' 
        '' Politico, March 31, 2017 (w/R. Haskins), https://
        www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/03/the-trump-
        administrations-misleading-embrace-of-evidence-000385/.

        ``Trump's First Budget Bill Undoes Trump's First Budget,'' 
        Democracy Journal, March 16, 2017, https://
        democracyjournal.org/briefing-book/trumps-first-budget-bill-
        undoes-trumps-first-budget/.

        ``Making Tax Evasion Great: The $100 Billion Giveaway,'' 
        Democracy Journal, March 9, 2017 (w/D. Kamin), https://
        democracyjournal.org/briefing-book/making-tax-evasion-great-
        the-100-billion-giveaway/.

        ``Constructing the Security State,'' Democracy Journal, 
        February 28, 2017, https://democracyjournal.org/briefing-book/
        deconstructing-the-administrative-state-constructing-the-
        security-state/.

        ``A Bipartisan Moneyball Agenda,'' in Moneyball for Government 
        (eds. J. Nussle and P. Orszag), 2014 (w/R. Haskins), https://
        moneyballforgov.com/moneyball-for-government-the-book/.

        ``How to Fix Head Start,'' The New Republic, March 24, 2014 (w/
        S. Mead), https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/how-to-fix-head-
        start/.

        ``New Motto for a Leaner Washington: Pay for What Works,'' The 
        Atlantic, February 24, 2014 (w/F. Hess), https://
        www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/02/new-motto-for-a-
        leaner-washington-pay-for-what-works/284029/.

        ``No Time To Waste in Making STEM Education Work,'' U.S. News 
        and World Report, June 28, 2013 (w/Robert Shea), https://
        results4america.org/tools/u-s-news-world-report-no-time-waste-
        making-stem-education-work/.

        ``Extending Lower Student-Loan Interest Rates Is Not the 
        Answer,'' The New Republic, June 11, 2013, https://
        newrepublic.com/article/113451/extending-lower-student-loan-
        interest-rates-not-answer.

        ``McCain Channels Phil Gramm to Attack `Lucky Duckies,' '' The 
        New Republic, October 15, 2008, https://newrepublic.com/
        article/45170/mccain-channels-phil-gramm-attack-lucky-duckies.

        ``Gordon and Kvaal on How America Will Change,'' The New 
        Republic, October 13, 2008, https://newrepublic.com/article/
        45088/gordon-and-kvaal-how-america-will-change.

        ``The Return of Big Government,'' The New Republic, September 
        19, 2008, https://newrepublic.com/article/44492/the-return-big-
        government. 

        ``Alpha-Bits,'' The New Republic, September 18, 2008, https://
        newrepublic.com/article/63170/alpha-bits.

        ``From Fear to Sneer,'' The New Republic, September 4, 2008, 
        https://newrepublic.com/article/44148/fear-sneer.

        ``McCain's Tax Increase on Health Care,'' The New Republic, 
        September 2, 2008, https://newrepublic.com/article/44030/
        mccains-tax-increase-health-care.

        ``More Equity and Less Red Tape: Rethinking the Comparability 
        and Compliance Provisions in Title I of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act,'' Center for American Progress 
        (October 2008), https://cdn.americanprogress
        .org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2008/10/pdf/
        title1.pdf?_ga=2.203895952.1212
        894662.1622890526-809548641.1620915449.

        ``Impossible to Pigeonhole,'' The New Republic, August 28, 
        2008, https://newrepublic.com/article/43928/impossible-
        pigeonhole.

        ``The Coming Tax Battle,'' The New Republic, August 27, 2008, 
        https://newrepublic.com/article/43851/the-coming-tax-battle.

        ``Talking Like Bill Clinton,'' The New Republic, August 25, 
        2008, https://newrepublic.com/article/43739/talking-bill-
        clinton.

        ``It's Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel--So Shoot!'', The New 
        Republic, August 25, 2008, https://newrepublic.com/article/
        43751/its-shooting-fish-barrel-so-shoot.

        ``Procomp strikes solid balance in attracting and retaining 
        teachers,'' Rocky Mountain News, August 20, 2008 (w/A. 
        Rotherham).

        ``Family's Value,'' The New Republic, August 4, 2008, https://
        newrepublic.com/article/64125/familys-value.

        ``McContradiction,'' The New Republic, July 8, 2008, https://
        newrepublic.com/article/64486/mccontradiction.

        ``Reverse Robin Hood: Why Is John McCain Wrong on Health Care? 
        Think Credit Cards,'' Slate, May 19, 2008, https://slate.com/
        news-and-politics/2008/05/why-is-john-mccain-wrong-on-health-
        care.html.

        ``McCain's Delusional Tax Plan,'' The American Prospect, May 2, 
        2008, https://prospect.org/article/mccain-s-delusional-tax-
        plan/.

        ``Johnny-Come-Lately,'' The New Republic, April 15, 2008, 
        https://newrepublic.com/article/62732/johnny-come-lately.

        ``Did Liberals Cause the Sub-Prime Crisis?'', The American 
        Prospect, April 7, 2008, https://prospect.org/article/liberals-
        cause-sub-prime-crisis/.

        ``Criminal Intent,'' The New Republic, March 25, 2008, https://
        newrepublic.com/article/63542/criminal-intent.

        ``Five Easy Pieces and Two Trillion Dollars,'' The Center for 
        American Progress, March 21, 2008 (w/J. Kvaal), https://
        www.americanprogressaction.org/article/five-easy-pieces-and-
        two-trillion-dollars/.

        ``Going from B to A: How to Fix the No Child Left Behind Act,'' 
        Slate, September 24, 2007, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/
        2007/09/how-to-fix-the-no-child-left-behind-act.html.

        ``Pay Teachers More,'' Chronicle of Higher Education, April 6, 
        2007 (w/T. Kane and D. Staiger), https://www.chronicle.com/
        article/pay-teachers-more/.

        ``Political Realities,'' Education Next, Fall 2006, https://
        www.educationnext.org/political-realities/.

        ``Should We Repair `No Child Left Behind' or Trade It In?'', 
        Center for American Progress/Economic Policy Institute, 
        September 5, 2006, https://www.epi.org/publication/rothstein-
        gordon-nclb/.

        ``Tax Reform That's Fair and Meets the Country's Needs,'' 
        Baltimore Sun, March 23, 2006 (w/John Irons), https://
        www.americanprogress.org/article/fair-progressive-tax-reform-
        would-be-good-policy-good-politics/.

        ``The Federalism Debate,'' Education Week, March 15, 2006, 
        https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/opinion-the-federalism-
        debate/2006/03.

        ``Identifying Effective Teachers Using Performance on the 
        Job,'' Hamilton Project, Brookings Institution (w/T. Kane and 
        D. Staiger, April 2006), https://www.hamiltonproject.org/
        assets/legacy/files/downloads_and_links/Identifying_
        Effective_Teachers_Using_Performance_on_the_Job.pdf.

        ``Taking Charge,'' Washington Monthly, December 2005 (w/D. 
        Douglas), https://washingtonmonthly.com/2005/12/01/taking-
        charge-2/.

        ``Alito or Scalito?'', Slate, November 1, 2005, https://
        slate.com/news-and-politics/2005/11/alito-or-scalito.html.

        ``Friendly Fire,'' Slate, August 11, 2005, https://slate.com/
        news-and-politics/2005/08/friendly-fire.html.

        ``Class Struggle,'' The New Republic, June 6, 2005, https://
        newrepublic.com/article/68236/class-struggle.

        ``Failing Grade,'' The American Prospect, February 14, 2005, 
        https://prospect.org/education/failing-grade/.

        ``Drifting Through Byzantium: The Promise and Failure of the 
        Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997,'' 83 Minnesota Law 
        Review 637 (1999), https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/mlr/2251/.

        ``The Limits of Limits on Divorce,'' Note, Yale Law Journal 
        (1998), https://openyls.law.yale.edu/handle/20.500.13051/9077.

        ``The Dangers of Deliberation,'' Book Note, Yale Law Journal 
        (1998), https://openyls.law.yale.edu/bitstream/handle/
        20.500.13051/9008/
        45_106YaleLJ1313_1996_1997_.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y.

        ``Keeping Out the Riffraff,'' The Harvard Crimson, February 19, 
        1992, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1992/2/19/keeping-out-
        the-riffraff-pbobnce-
        again/.

        ``The Big Lie,'' The Harvard Crimson, April 12, 1991, https://
        www.
        thecrimson.com/article/1991/4/12/the-big-lie-pbmbore-than-one/.

        ``Troops Stop Shooting Now!'', The Harvard Crimson, January 25, 
        1991, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1991/1/25/troops-stop-
        shooting-now-pbto-the/.

        ``Bush's Ally in Albany,'' The Harvard Crimson, September 21, 
        1991, https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1991/9/21/bushs-ally-
        in-albany-pbibt-is/.

        Commentaries for Harvard Perspective (not able to locate) and 
        Harvard Political Review (not able to locate).

16.  Speeches (list all formal speeches and presentations (e.g., 
PowerPoint) you have delivered during the past 5 years which are on 
topics relevant to the position for which you have been nominated, 
including dates):

        I have records of the following speeches or hearing testimony 
        in the past 5 years, and I have included the video or text link 
        where available.

        Michigan House of Representatives Oversight Committee hearing 
        on separation agreement, April 29, 2021.

        Michigan Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic 
        hearing on epidemic orders, December 2, 2020.

        Michigan Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic 
        hearing on COVID data, September 23, 2020.

        Michigan Senate Oversight Committee hearing on protections for 
        agricultural workers related to COVID-19, September 17, 2020.

        Michigan Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic 
        hearing on nursing homes, September 16, 2020.

        Michigan Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic 
        hearing on contact tracing, August 13, 2020.

        Michigan Senate Oversight Committee hearing on nursing homes, 
        May 13, 2020.

        Michigan Joint Appropriations Subcommittee meeting on 
        behavioral health redesign, December 4, 2019.

        ``Changes Big and Small: What's Needed in the Fight Against 
        Poverty,'' (https://poverty.umich.edu/files/2020/07/
        PovertySolutions-ChangesBigAnd
        Small-PolicyReport-r2.pdf) published by University of Michigan 
        Poverty Solutions in April 2020, first given as a speech on 
        October 31, 2019, discussed here, https://
        www.michigandaily.com/campus-life/director-michigan-health-and-
        human-services-talks-food-insecurity-and-child-health/) (as 
        MDHHS Director).

        Michigan Joint Appropriations Subcommittee meeting on asset 
        test policies.

        Michigan House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee 
        on Health and Human Services budget testimony for 2020, 
        February 19, 2020.

        Speech on behavioral health redesign to the Community Mental 
        Health Association of Michigan, October 22, 2019, https://
        www.michigan.gov/-/media/Project/Websites/mdhhs/Folder3/
        Folder96/Folder2/Folder196/Folder1/Folder
        296/
        20191022_RG_CMHA_speech_prepared_for_delivery.pdf?rev=f471125559
        10
        4258b1c4f77e9e505569.

        Michigan House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee 
        on Health and Human Services budget testimony for 2019, March 
        6, 2019.

        Michigan Senate Advice and Consent Committee hearing, February 
        14, 2019.

17.  Qualifications (state what, in your opinion, qualifies you to 
serve in the position to which you have been nominated):

        What government chooses to fund--or not fund--has a lasting 
        impact on Americans, especially those who are most vulnerable. 
        Policymakers' decisions can be the difference between someone 
        having insurance or not, having a job or not, paying the bills 
        or not. A year out of law school, I represented children in 
        foster care and saw firsthand the difference that effective 
        services could make. That knowledge has inspired me in a 30-
        year career in public service. If confirmed, the beliefs that 
        all individuals deserve to be treated with dignity, and that 
        evidence-based decision-making can advance that goal, would 
        inspire my work as Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources 
        at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

        I have extensive experience working for Federal, State, and 
        local governments in leadership roles handling health care, 
        human services, and budget and finance matters. For more than 4 
        years, I served as a senior official at the U.S. Office of 
        Management and Budget (OMB), including service as Acting Deputy 
        Director. For the first 2 years that I was at OMB, I handled 
        large aspects of the HHS budget, including Head Start, CCDBG, 
        and LIHEAP, and I worked closely with the HHS official in the 
        role for which I am nominated. For the second 2 years, I 
        regularly worked on Medicaid and Medicare. I also served in the 
        presidential transition as co-lead of the HHS agency review 
        team, examining operations across the department. I will arrive 
        at HHS with a strong working knowledge of its responsibilities 
        on day one.

        Evidence-based policymaking has been core to my work for many 
        years. While at OMB, I led the Obama administration's evidence-
        based policymaking initiatives, tying government funding to 
        evaluation. Sometimes, a program that sounds like good policy 
        or good politics doesn't work, and funding it is a poor use of 
        taxpayer dollars. In my time at OMB, I was proud to play a part 
        in launching the evidence-based maternal and infant home 
        visiting program, in designing the Head Start recompetition 
        regulation, and in developing other 
        evidence-based programs on a bipartisan basis. Many of these 
        initiatives continue to benefit Americans today.

        Recently I served as the Director of the Michigan Department of 
        Health and Human Services (MDHHS), an agency with 14,000 
        employees and a $27-billion budget. In that role, I oversaw 
        Medicaid programs, Child Protective Services, food assistance, 
        public health, including aspects of the State's response to 
        COVID-19, and aging programs. One of my proudest 
        accomplishments at MDHHS was to drive forward the reform of the 
        State's child welfare system. When I arrived, that system had 
        been under Federal court oversight for more than a decade, 
        because of deaths in the State's custody and inadequacies in 
        moving children toward permanency. Together with extraordinary 
        colleagues, we held ourselves accountable for measurable 
        results, moved State dollars into more evidence-based 
        permanency practices, and canceled contracts with agencies that 
        failed children. The State's safety performance improved. The 
        Federal judge overseeing the case praised our progress as 
        unlike any she had seen previously, and on her own initiative 
        raised the possibility of ending Federal oversight of the case. 
        Should I be confirmed, I would apply the same emphasis on 
        measuring performance and driving dollars to effective 
        strategies as Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources.

        I bring additional experience with financial oversight from 
        time as senior vice president of finance and global strategy 
        for the nonprofit, The College Board. In this role, I served as 
        the chief financial officer for The College Board, responsible 
        for all budgeting, accounting, auditing, and procurement. As 
        the Acting Assistant Secretary for Planning, Evaluation and 
        Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education (ED), I 
        served in a role with similarities to the role at HHS, managing 
        the department's internal budget process and advancing 
        evidence-based policies.

        As Americans continue to respond to and recover from the COVID-
        19 pandemic, the work of HHS has never been more important. I 
        bring to this work a personal perspective that millions of 
        Americans sadly share. Late last year, both my parents 
        contracted COVID-19. My father Alan Gordon, a life-long public 
        servant, died of resulting complications. He continues to 
        inspire my work today. I am honored by President Biden's 
        nomination to be the Assistant Secretary for Financial 
        Resources at HHS and believe my experience and expertise 
        qualify me for the role. Should I be confirmed, I would look 
        forward to the opportunity to work with President Biden, 
        Secretary Becerra, and members of Congress to fund health and 
        human services programs that work.

                   B. FUTURE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS

 1.  Will you sever all connections (including participation in future 
benefit arrangements) with your present employers, business firms, 
associations, or organizations if you are confirmed by the Senate? If 
not, provide details.

        Yes.

 2.  Do you have any plans, commitments, or agreements to pursue 
outside employment, with or without compensation, during your service 
with the government? If so, provide details.

        No.

 3.  Has any person or entity made a commitment or agreement to employ 
your services in any capacity after you leave government service? If 
so, provide details.

        No.

 4.  If you are confirmed by the Senate, do you expect to serve out 
your full term or until the next presidential election, whichever is 
applicable? If not, explain.

        Yes.

                   C. POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 1.  Indicate any current and former investments, obligations, 
liabilities, or other personal relationships, including spousal or 
family employment, which could involve potential conflicts of interest 
in the position to which you have been nominated.

        Any potential conflict of interest will be resolved in 
        accordance with the terms of my ethics agreement, which was 
        developed in consultation with ethics officials at the 
        Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
        Government Ethics. I understand that my ethics agreement has 
        been provided to the committee. I am not aware of any potential 
        conflict other than those addressed by my ethics agreement.

 2.  Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial 
transaction which you have had during the last 10 years (prior to the 
date of your nomination), whether for yourself, on behalf of a client, 
or acting as an agent, that could in any way constitute or result in a 
possible conflict of interest in the position to which you have been 
nominated.

        Any potential conflict of interest will be resolved in 
        accordance with the terms of my ethics agreement, which was 
        developed in consultation with ethics officials at the 
        Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
        Government Ethics. I understand that my ethics agreement has 
        been provided to the committee. I am not aware of any potential 
        conflict other than those addressed by my ethics agreement.

 3.  Describe any activity during the past 10 years (prior to the date 
of your nomination) in which you have engaged for the purpose of 
directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or modification 
of any legislation or affecting the administration and execution of law 
or public policy. Activities performed as an employee of the Federal 
Government need not be listed.

        In my position at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, I 
        write, edit, and provide strategic advice with the aim of 
        encouraging Congress to enact legislation that provides robust 
        economic and social supports for lower-income Americans.

 4.  Explain how you will resolve any potential conflict of interest, 
including any that are disclosed by your responses to the above items. 
(Provide the committee with two copies of any trust or other 
agreements.)

        Any potential conflict of interest will be resolved in 
        accordance with the terms of my ethics agreement, which was 
        developed in consultation with ethics officials at the 
        Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
        Government Ethics. I understand that my ethics agreement has 
        been provided to the committee. I am not aware of any potential 
        conflict other than those addressed by my ethics agreement.

 5.  Two copies of written opinions should be provided directly to the 
committee by the designated agency ethics officer of the agency to 
which you have been nominated and by the Office of Government Ethics 
concerning potential conflicts of interest or any legal impediments to 
your serving in this position.

        I understand that my ethics agreement has been provided to the 
        committee along with the accompanying transmittal documents.

                       D. LEGAL AND OTHER MATTERS

 1.  Have you ever been the subject of a complaint or been 
investigated, disciplined, or otherwise cited for a breach of ethics 
for unprofessional conduct before any court, administrative agency 
(e.g., an Inspector General's office), professional association, 
disciplinary committee, or other ethics enforcement entity at any time? 
Have you ever been interviewed regarding your own conduct as part of 
any such inquiry or investigation? If so, provide details, regardless 
of the outcome.

        No.

 2.  Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by any 
Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority for a violation of 
any Federal, State, county, or municipal law, regulation, or ordinance, 
other than a minor traffic offense? Have you ever been interviewed 
regarding your own conduct as part of any such inquiry or 
investigation? If so, provide details.

        No.

 3.  Have you ever been involved as a party in interest in any 
administrative agency proceeding or civil litigation? If so, provide 
details.

        In my official capacity as Director of Michigan's Department of 
        Health and Human Services, I was sometimes named in litigation.

        In June 2011, the District of Columbia's Office of Planning 
        filed a notice of infraction based on our having improperly 
        replaced a broken window, without the permit that is required 
        in the historic district where we resided. We were found to 
        have unknowingly committed the infraction and fined $1,750 in 
        an order stipulating that the fine would be refunded if we 
        obtained the right permit and installed the right window. We 
        followed that course and received a full refund.

 4.  Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo 
contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic 
offense? If so, provide details.

        No.

 5.  Please advise the committee of any additional information, 
favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be considered in 
connection with your nomination.

        N/A.

                     E. TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS

 1.  If you are confirmed by the Senate, are you willing to appear and 
testify before any duly constituted committee of the Congress on such 
occasions as you may be reasonably requested to do so?

        Yes.

 2.  If you are confirmed by the Senate, are you willing to provide 
such information as is requested by such committees?

        Yes.

                                 ______
                                 
      Questions Submitted for the Record to Robert Michael Gordon
               Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell
    Question. The broad support for the premium tax credits provided in 
the American Rescue Plan demonstrates the need for more affordable 
options for those who are seeking health insurance. These subsidies 
directly lowered the out-of-pocket expenses for families across the 
country.

    The House-passed Build Back Better Act contains provisions that 
would extend these premium tax credits to 2025, ensuring that no one 
has to spend more than 8.5 percent of household income on insurance 
premiums. Yet, there is a need to look at additional options to keep 
costs low for patients, States, and the Federal government. The Basic 
Health Plan is an option that has shown to produce these savings.

    Thanks to language I fought for in the Affordable Care Act, we have 
two States that are using the Basic Health model to make coverage more 
affordable for people earning under 200 percent of the Federal poverty 
level. We've seen incredible outcomes in New York and Minnesota. 
Savings for the States, savings for the Federal Government, and savings 
for individuals.

    In New York, approximately 800,000 people are enrolled in the 
Essential Plan that cost less than $500 annually for a family of four 
buying separate coverage, saving $1,000 in premiums compared to Silver 
plans on the exchange. The State saved nearly $1 billion by 
transitioning individuals from State funded plans to the Basic Health 
Plan.

    Now is the time to expand the Basic Health Plan option to encourage 
more States to administer the plan, just as we have improved access to 
affordable options in the American Rescue Plan.

    Do you agree that there is a need to lower health-care costs for 
people in the United States? At the same time, do you think there is a 
need to explore options that would also lower health-care expenditures 
for the government?

    Answer. Making sure that all Americans have access to quality, 
affordable health care is one of the Biden-Harris administration's top 
priorities. The Basic Health Program is an important option for States 
to provide comprehensive health coverage to low- and moderate-income 
families. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Congress, and in 
concert with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on a 
bipartisan basis to address this. At the same time, I also look forward 
to looking at short- and long-term strategies--including delivery 
system reform--to make sure that our Federal health programs like 
Medicare remain a bedrock of our health-care system.

    Question. If confirmed, would you work with me to secure sustained 
funding for the Basic Health Plan and help encourage more States to 
adopt the program?

    Answer. The Basic Health Program is an innovative option for States 
to improve access to care and in line with the Biden-Harris 
administration goals of affordability and coverage for all. The 
American Rescue Plan made additional investments in the Basic Health 
Program last year, and if confirmed, I would be happy to work with you 
on this issue.

    Question. Home and community-based services have become extremely 
popular in Washington State and across the country. I have worked with 
my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to increase support for home 
and community based care.

    These services help millions of older adults and people with 
disabilities avoid high-cost institutional care, while letting them 
live in the comforts of a surrounding that they are familiar with. 
People want to stay in their own homes as they age, and home and 
community-based care can cost as little as one-third the amount of 
nursing home care.

    This shows that there is a need to innovate health-care delivery 
for seniors and people with disabilities. One successful program to 
achieve this is the Money Follows the Person program, which I have led 
with Senator Portman. This program allows older adults and people with 
disabilities to leave institutional care settings to live in their 
community, yet has not received permanent funding.

    In Washington, the Money Follows the Person program has been 
incredibly successful, helping more than 8,000 individuals transition 
from long-term care facilities back into their own homes since 2008. It 
was also able to save the State Medicaid program millions of dollars. 
We must support efforts to have sustained funding for this program so 
that States can effectively use these funds to expand the program.

    The COVID-19 pandemic has made it dangerous for immunocompromised 
people and seniors to live in crowded facilities. Home and community-
based care became one of the solutions to solve this issue. If 
confirmed, would you work with me to secure funding for programs like 
Money Follows the Person?

    Answer. Thank you for your leadership on this important issue. The 
Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration gives Medicaid 
beneficiaries more options for their care and allows them to choose to 
receive care in the community, rather than institutions. This 
demonstration has shown promising results, including improving 
participant quality of life and lowering the cost of care. It is my 
understanding that the administration supports a permanent extension of 
MFP. If confirmed, I look forward to working with you on extending this 
program.

    Question. Home and community-based services cannot exist without a 
robust caregiving workforce. Home-care workers are often low-income, 
racial minorities, underpaid, and overworked. If confirmed, would you 
pledge to support programs that bolster the caregiving workforce in a 
fair and equitable manner?

    Answer. Our caregiving workforce is critical to ensuring access to 
home and 
community-based services--and we know the needs will only grow as our 
population continues to age. If confirmed, I look forward to working 
with you to ensure this workforce has the support it needs to serve 
older adults and people with disabilities.

    Question Submitted by Hon. Sherrod Brown and Hon. James Lankford
    Question. Every day, our offices receive calls from constituents 
who can't afford their prescription drugs. High out-of-pocket costs at 
the pharmacy counter are especially difficult for older Americans, who 
are often on fixed incomes and sometimes have to make the impossible 
decision between paying for groceries or their prescription medicines 
because they can't afford both. Policymakers--both Congress and the 
administration--can and must do more to address system challenges that 
inadvertently drive out-of-pocket costs up for seniors, including 
direct and indirect remuneration (DIR) fees which often lead to 
increased costs for seniors at the pharmacy counter and threaten the 
viability of pharmacies across the Nation.

    CMS recently proposed a regulation that would address pharmacy DIR. 
If finalized, CMS's part D Rule for CY 2023 would reduce out-of-pocket 
costs for beneficiaries by $21.3 billion over 10 years. While CMS has 
yet to take action in this space, we also look forward to working with 
you, HHS, and CMS to implement standardized pharmacy quality measures 
that help to provide more certainty to community pharmacies and the 
Medicare beneficiaries they serve.

    Will you commit to working with our offices and the Senate Finance 
Committee to ensure this rule is finalized, and that the reforms 
applied to all Medicare beneficiaries?

    Answer. Small and rural pharmacies are critical to our Nation's 
health-care system and have been especially important during the 
pandemic. We must do all we can to ensure that Americans can access 
important health-care services, including from local pharmacies in 
their communities. If confirmed, I look forward to working with 
Congress to ensure that community pharmacists have predictability and 
to lower drug prices for patients and families.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Question Submitted by Hon. Mike Crapo
    Question. As I understand it, you left your position with the 
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services due to policy 
disagreements with Governor Gretchen Whitmer. Without opining on the 
specifics of that disagreement, I respect your willingness to resign a 
position if you disagree with a policy and believe that you cannot 
implement it in good faith. I also believe that Congress has an 
important role to play in conducting oversight and ensuring government 
accountability.

    Will you commit to respond to all the members of this committee, 
fulsomely and in good faith, during your nomination process, the term 
in which you would act as Assistant Secretary, and afterward regarding 
questions on your tenure?

    Answer. I deeply respect the oversight function of Congress. If 
confirmed, I am committed to being responsive to requests from all 
members of this committee and providing Congress with the information 
that it needs consistent with appropriate law and regulation, during my 
tenure and subsequently.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. Chuck Grassley
    Question. Since the COVID pandemic began, I have engaged in 
oversight on two fronts: (1) the origins of the virus; (2) the 
connection between the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with the Wuhan lab and 
coronavirus research. In my July 27, 2021, Senate floor remarks, I 
challenged the Federal Government's failure to oversee grants sent by 
NIH to EcoHealth which then sub-awarded the money to the Wuhan lab. If 
you are confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources, you 
will oversee the HHS Office of Finance and Office of Grants. During the 
past 3 years, I've conducted oversight on what steps the HHS has taken 
to detect and deter foreign threats to 
taxpayer-funded research. This work includes determining whether or not 
the NIH complied with all Federal regulations in funding activity at 
the Wuhan Lab. If confirmed, will you ensure the HHS is fully 
transparent and compliant in all Office of Inspector General audits and 
congressional inquiries?

    Answer. I deeply respect the oversight function of Congress and the 
HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG). If confirmed, I am committed to 
being responsive to inquiries from Congress and OIG consistent with 
appropriate law and regulation.

    Question. If confirmed, will you commit to conducting, supporting, 
and responding to any investigation into taxpayer money involving 
China-related research?

    Answer. The President, Secretary Becerra, and the National 
Institutes of Health (NIH) all support the need to identify the origins 
of the COVID-19 virus, including by cooperating with the intelligence 
community's recent investigation. If confirmed, I would be happy to 
work to ensure the Department is responsive to information requests 
from Congress.

    Question. In confirmed, will you commit to determining with 
certainty that HHS money wasn't misused by the Chinese Government and 
related entities, including gain-of-function research?

    Answer. I deeply respect the oversight function of Congress and the 
laws that govern foreign-sponsored research. If confirmed, I am 
committed to being responsive to inquiries from Congress and ensuring 
that grant dollars are used for their intended purpose.

    Question. I am concerned about an action recently made by the Biden 
administration is a Notice of Funding Opportunity for Harm Reduction 
Program Grants by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 
This $30-million grant program, which will begin in May, would provide 
funds to nonprofits and local governments to make drug use safer for 
those with a substance use disorder. Specifically, grant funds must be 
used to support certain harm reduction activities, including purchasing 
equipment like FDA-approved overdose reversal medication, syringes, but 
also safe smoking kits/supplies. In my review, this is the first time a 
grant solicitation has included anything about safe smoking kits/
supplies. Without any explanation or context, the administration 
seemingly endorsed the dispersal of drug paraphernalia by the Federal 
Government. If you are confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Financial 
Resources, you will oversee HHS grant compliance to Federal law. Do you 
support the use of ``safe smoking kits/supplies'' for the purpose of 
harm reduction policy to respond to the drug overdose crisis? Can you 
explain how the dispersal of these kits and supplies would not violate 
21 U.S.C. 863, which makes it unlawful to transport drug paraphernalia?

    Answer. I support evidence-based practical strategies that prevent 
deadly overdoses, reduce the spread of disease associated with drug 
use, and engage individuals that use drugs in treatment productively. 
If confirmed, I will work with the appropriate subject-matter experts 
on this issue and follow the law.

    Question. Has HHS noticed funding or provided grant funding for 
``safe smoking kits/supplies'' prior to FY 2022? If so, please provide 
the specific grant number or Notice of Funding Opportunity.

    Answer. As a private citizen, I am not aware of all previous HHS 
grant opportunities.

    Question. It has been reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) 
is considering supporting the use of safe injection sites. Safe 
injection sites are public facilities for drug users to consume illicit 
drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, or heroin, under the supervision 
of medical staff. This position by the Justice Department could violate 
Federal law. 21 U.S.C. 856 prohibits any person from knowingly or 
intentionally maintaining a place for the purpose of illegal drug use. 
The Trump administration DOJ opposed safe injection sites for this 
reason, and the Third Circuit agreed with this position, finding that 
it is a Federal crime to open and operate a safe injection site for 
illegal drug use. Is the funding of ``safe injection'' for the purpose 
of harm reduction policy compliant with Federal law? Please cite the 
specific Federal statute if you believe it is compliant.

    Answer. I am not aware of Department of Justice's position or 
actions on this issue. However, the opioid overdose crisis plaguing our 
Nation requires a forceful response that is rooted in evidence about 
what works to save lives, reduce the spread of disease, and engage 
individuals in treatment productively. If confirmed, I will follow the 
law and commit to working with my Federal, State, Tribal, local, and 
territorial public health leaders to address this deadly epidemic.

    Question. Should Federal dollars fund ``safe injection'' sites?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will work together with the appropriate 
subject-matter experts and follow the law.

    Question. It has been reported that the Department of Justice (DOJ) 
is considering supporting the use of safe injection sites. Safe 
injection sites are public facilities for drug users to consume illicit 
drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamine, or heroin, under the supervision 
of medical staff. This position is concerning for a number of reasons. 
First, reports show that safe injection sites do not reduce overall 
overdose deaths or opioid-related emergency calls. Safe injection sites 
have led to an increase in crime, discarded needles, and social 
disorder in the surrounding neighborhoods. Advocates in favor of safe 
injection sites assert that they provide connections for those with 
substance use disorders to find housing and treatment options. 
Additionally, ``safe injection'' sites have a poor record of moving 
drug users into treatment and recovery, with some referral rates as low 
as 1 percent. What outcome evidence is there, including treatment and 
recovery referral rates, for ``safe injection'' sites?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will work across the Department to ground 
the Department's programs in evidence.

                                 ______
                                 
                Question Submitted by Hon. Richard Burr
    Question. As the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions, I take my oversight responsibilities 
very seriously, particularly as Congress provided billions of dollars 
in funding for the response to COVID-19 over the last 2 years.

    While you are currently before the Senate Committee on Finance, if 
you are confirmed, you will oversee financial resources for a wide 
range of agencies, programs, and initiatives under the HELP Committee's 
jurisdiction.

    As I have told Secretary Becerra, congressional oversight is not an 
option. There has to be accountability for the historic levels of 
funding that have gone out the door for this response. Until we get a 
full picture of how the funds provided by Congress so far have been 
spent, it is difficult to justify any potential requests for additional 
funds.

    Do you commit to providing me regular reports in a timely manner 
that detail each account that the administration is using for spending 
on COVID-19 response, how much money is in each account, how much has 
been obligated, how much has been spent, and what specific activities 
those funds have been spent on?

    Answer. I deeply respect the oversight function of Congress, 
including the responsibility for oversight of financial expenditures. 
Currently, the Department complies with Federal law requiring regular 
reports for spending on COVID-19 activities. These reports are 
delivered to the Appropriations Committee on a monthly basis, as 
required by law. If confirmed, I commit to thoughtfully reviewing and 
responding to your request, and will provide the committee with 
information to support its oversight functions.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Tim Scott
    Question. During his confirmation hearing last February, the 
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra 
stated the following: ``I believe deeply in religious freedom, and I 
will make sure that as Secretary of HHS that you will know that I will 
not only respect the law when it comes to these issues of religious 
freedom, but I will enforce them as Secretary of HHS within my 
department.''

    If confirmed, will you commit to supporting robust funding for the 
Office for Civil Rights' Conscience and Religious Freedom Division to 
assist the Secretary in this regard?

    Answer. I support ensuring all HHS offices have sufficient 
resources to fulfill their mission in an efficient and effective 
manner. If confirmed, I will work with others across the Department to 
protect the civil rights of all people who participate in HHS programs.

    Question. If confirmed, will you commit to ensuring the fair and 
equal access and treatment of faith-based organizations with regard to 
agency grant opportunities without them having to compromise their 
religious missions?

    Answer. Faith-based providers are critical to the child welfare 
system. In my current role, I work closely with the faith community and 
understand how essential they are to our safety net. If confirmed, I 
look forward to listening to and working closely with faith-based 
providers.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. James Lankford
                                  hyde
    Question. If confirmed, you will be responsible for the financial 
resources and budget at HHS. As you know, Congress has continued to 
maintain the Hyde Amendment on a bipartisan basis each year in annual 
funding bills since 1976. If confirmed, will you continue to uphold and 
enforce the restrictions of the Hyde amendment--that no Federal funding 
can pay for abortions except in the case of rape, incest, or to protect 
the life of the mother--as enacted by Congress, as well as other 
prolife protections currently in Federal law?

    Answer. If confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Financial 
Resources, I will follow the law.

    Question. Will you commit to not attempting to weaken the Hyde 
Amendment and similar prolife policies or strip them from future 
budgets or appropriations bills?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will follow the law.

    Question. Congress has also continued to include conscience 
protections for individuals who have a religious or moral objection to 
participating in an abortion. Specifically, the Weldon Amendment, which 
has been included in funding bills since 2004, restricts Federal 
funding from going to agencies or programs that discriminate against 
health-care providers that do not provide, pay for, provide coverage of 
or refer for abortions. Unfortunately, this administration has walked 
back enforcement of the Weldon Amendment, including rescinding 
enforcement action on California for violating Weldon. If confirmed, 
will you continue to uphold and enforce the Weldon Amendment and other 
conscience protections enacted by Congress to ensure that no health-
care providers are discriminated against with Federal dollars?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will follow the law.

    Question. A report from the Obama administration in 2010 reinforced 
the importance of faith-based partnerships. Among the recommendations 
put forward in the report was to draw more on the local expertise and 
relationships of faith-based organizations as a way of filling gaps in 
the provision of essential services. Faith-based organizations are 
excellent, effective, and efficient at meeting the needs of our most 
at-risk populations. The report also highlighted the need to ease 
overly burdensome reporting and regulation requirements placed on 
social service agencies. Do you agree that it is important to continue 
pursuing ways to engage and expand faith-based partnerships as a way of 
effectively addressing some of the most critical social service needs 
in our country?

    Answer. Faith-based providers are critical to the child welfare 
system. In past roles, I have worked closely with the faith community 
and understand how essential they are to our safety net. If confirmed, 
I look forward to listening to and working closely with faith-based 
providers.

    Question. The Supreme Court has, in multiple decisions, reiterated 
that religious organizations cannot be discriminated against in the 
distribution of a public benefit for which they otherwise qualify 
because of their religious beliefs or identity. Will you commit to 
ensuring that no policy in HHS will disqualify a religious organization 
from receiving aid or participating in grant programs simply because of 
the organization's religious beliefs or because the organization 
receives statutory protections for religious freedom like those in 
title VII and title IX?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will follow the law.
                             budget/grants
    Question. The office of ASFR oversees arguably some of the most 
important offices at HHS, particularly those overseeing the agency's 
budget. Something that I think every person on this committee can agree 
on is that HHS's budget could use some additional transparency, 
especially after the several billions thrown its way over the course of 
the pandemic. I authored the Taxpayers Right to Know Act which was 
enacted in 2020, and OMB is in the early phases of discussing 
implementation. This provision will create a searchable list of every 
program in the Federal Government, how many employees are dedicated to 
that task, how much we spend on the program, and how it is evaluated, 
or if it is evaluated at all.

    Are you aware of these new requirements, and what you can do to 
help facilitate the implementation of Taxpayer's Right to Know Act 
within the thousands of multi-layered programs at HHS should you be 
confirmed? What value do you see in having HHS's spending inventoried 
for all to see?

    Answer. I am aware of these requirements. As a senior official at 
the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, including as Acting Deputy 
Director, I worked to advance transparency in congressional budget 
justifications and supported the ongoing work of Federal agencies to 
track and report performance and financial data through implementation 
of the Government Performance and Results Modernization Act and the 
Digital Accountability and Transparency Act. I have also strongly 
supported increased evaluation of program effectiveness, using a broad 
range of tools. I value the importance of improving transparency in 
government programs so taxpayers have access to information to 
understand how Federal funds are expended. If confirmed, I will work to 
advance transparency and evaluation so taxpayer dollars are spent 
effectively and taxpayers have access to information about how public 
funds are expended.

    Question. The need to fully understand how grant dollars are used 
has been something I have highlighted for years. In Oklahoma, we have 
several state-of-the-art facilities that often are the recipients of 
research grants through one of the many HHS sub-agencies. Though you 
have yet to be installed in office, through your background in several 
administrations and other large public agencies, I am hoping you can 
provide some insight into how HHS makes decisions on who gets grants, 
who makes these decisions, how often or if the decision-making panel 
changes, and how or if HHS works with the applicants who are not 
awarded the grant they applied for to see if there are other funding 
sources available to them.

    Answer. From my time at OMB my understanding is HHS, like all 
Federal agencies, must design and execute a merit review process for 
applications for competitive grants or cooperative agreements. That 
review process must be guided by the program objectives and review 
criteria in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. An agency must first 
select objective reviewers who are knowledgeable in the field of 
endeavor. HHS has department-wide policies that agencies are required 
to implement to avoid conflict of interest. Program leadership makes 
recommendations for funding to the grants official and must include a 
statement explaining why unfunded applications were not selected. The 
grants office conducts a risk assessment as required by regulation on 
each recommended application and, in consultation with the program 
office, makes the final decision to fund an application. With respect 
to applicants not receiving an award, my understanding is agencies must 
notify unsuccessful applicants in writing within a month of the 
decision. Agencies may after the announcement work with those 
applicants on other funding sources in a fair and equitable manner that 
does not give an unfair advantage to any potential applicant of another 
grant. In addition, I understand all competitive HHS funding 
opportunities are posted to Grants.gov as much in advance of the 
application closing date as possible. If confirmed, I would welcome the 
opportunity to work with you and others on ideas consistent with the 
law for improving this process.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. John Barrasso
    Question. Lower-population States at times feel the participation 
requirements in certain programs at the Department of Health and Human 
Services require too much administrative burden compared to the level 
of Federal support. In other words, the State is forced to devote large 
sums of staff time and expense to receive relatively small amounts of 
Federal financial help.

    Do you believe there are ways the department could streamline or 
reduce the administrative burden placed on States, especially those 
with smaller populations to participate in HHS programs?

    If so, can you identify policies you believe Congress could examine 
to achieve this goal.

    Answer. From my time in State government, I am personally aware of 
the burdens which Federal requirements can place on States, and I can 
appreciate that smaller States may face particular challenges. If 
confirmed, I look forward to working within the Department and with 
Congress and States to find ways to reduce administrative burden while 
preserving or even strengthening the effectiveness and transparency of 
public spending.

    Question. You have previously stated the importance of reducing 
waste, fraud, and abuse in Federal programs. This is something we all 
support.

    Can you discuss an experience in your career where you reduced 
wasteful spending in a government program?

    Answer. When I arrived at the Michigan Department of Health and 
Human Services, the Department's technology budget--which funded 
systems that delivered Medicaid payments to hospitals, tracked children 
in foster care, and enrolled individuals in SNAP and Medicaid--faced a 
$45-million structural deficit. To address that imbalance without 
sacrificing vital services, with colleagues I eliminated scores of 
government positions in technology middle management. I stopped 
spending on a failed new approach to managing public assistance 
caseloads. I undertook a benchmarking exercise to identify excesses of 
costs over value, and then personally engaged vendor executives to 
renegotiate contracts. I also improved controls in the agency's 
approval processes. These steps and others greatly improved the 
Department's financial position.

    Question. Can you also discuss ways HHS can better collaborate with 
State Governments to achieve this shared goal, especially regarding HHS 
programs that are jointly funded by States and the Federal Government?

    Answer. It is critical that HHS works together with States to 
protect the integrity of Medicaid and other programs funded by the 
Federal Government and States. Reducing waste, fraud, and abuse has 
been a priority for me as a senior official at OMB and as the Director 
of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. HHS has a 
critical opportunity and responsibility to collaborate with State 
Governments to ensure we are protecting taxpayer dollars, improving the 
efficiency of our programs, and reaching the intended populations. If I 
am confirmed, I would continue this focus and partner with Congress and 
States to ensure strong oversight of Federal and State-supported 
programs like Medicaid to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.

                                 ______
                                 
    Prepared Statement of Rebecca E. Jones Gaston, Nominated to be 
    Commissioner, Administration on Children, Youth, and Families, 
                Department of Health and Human Services
    Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, members of the committee, 
thank you for considering my nomination to be the Commissioner of the 
Administration on Children, Youth, and Families. I am honored by 
President Biden's decision to nominate me for this role and, if 
confirmed, look forward to serving children, youth, and families under 
his and Secretary Becerra's leadership.

    Before I begin my testimony, I would like to thank my family. Here 
with me today are my children's godmothers, friends who have become 
family. And watching virtually are my son and daughter; my mother; and 
many of my family, friends, mentors, and colleagues. With me in spirit 
are my ancestors and my birth parents. I would not be here today 
without the love and support of all of these people.

    I was adopted at a very young age after a number of foster care 
placements and grew up in a small Iowa farming community. Throughout my 
career in human services and child welfare, I have infused my lived 
experience, and the lived experience of others, into my work, because I 
believe that those who have been served by children and family services 
systems should have a role in changing these systems.

    If confirmed as the Commissioner of the Administration on Children, 
Youth, and Families, I would prioritize shifting the focus of child 
welfare systems from placement to prevention by promoting cross-system 
partnerships and shared outcomes, and helping States implement the 
Family First Prevention Services Act; leading from the ground up by 
keeping the perspective of States and those with lived experience at 
the fore; and ensuring equity and inclusion are at the center of all 
that we do.

    I have been working in human services and child welfare for almost 
25 years. During that time, I have transformed child welfare systems 
under both Democratic and Republican Governors. I have worked across 
the Nation to recruit foster and adoptive parents; have implemented 
innovative policies and programs; and have sat side-by-side with 
families and youth being served by these systems as a person with lived 
experience, and as a parent, advocate, and social worker.

    As a result of my personal and professional experiences, I know 
that transforming children and family services systems into family 
well-being systems that serve children, youth, parents, and families as 
a whole cannot be done without collaborating with public and private 
partners, Tribal Nations, and community and faith-based partners, 
including those with diverse perspectives.

    I currently serve as the Director of Child Welfare at the Oregon 
Department of Human Services. Together with my leadership team and key 
community partners, we developed a strategic plan focused on well-being 
and prevention that has already yielded results. Despite the onset of 
the COVID-19 pandemic, we have reduced the number of children in foster 
care by more than 20 percent over 2 years and are on the path toward 
long-term change.

    I led similar change efforts as the head of the Social Services 
Administration in Maryland, where I served under the leadership of 
Republican Governor Larry Hogan. In both Maryland and Oregon, I 
successfully led the States' Family First Prevention Services Act plans 
from development through Federal approval. If confirmed, I will 
prioritize supporting States to fully implement this landmark law, so 
children, youth, and families do not have to wait any longer for the 
transformational change that it offers.

    In addition to Family First, there are a number of other levers at 
the Federal level to support States that are working hard to be 
innovative and improve how they meet the needs of children, youth, 
parents, and families. However, the key word here is support, as it is 
also important for the Federal Government not to put up unnecessary 
barriers.

    Transforming children and family services systems into family well-
being systems cannot be done without a focus on equity and inclusion. 
In these systems across the Nation, we see disproportionality at every 
decision point. This impacts rural communities, communities of color, 
Tribal Nations, and other vulnerable communities. In these communities, 
we often see limited access to services and resources, impacts of 
poverty, and disparate outcomes.

    To build towards well-being, I have heard from those who have 
experienced the child welfare system that many families and youth could 
have been supported earlier by meeting needs related to homelessness, 
child care, and access to other concrete supports, such as addressing 
mental health and substance use needs. If confirmed, I look forward to 
continuing to be a voice for those who have experienced these systems 
and leading transformation to better meet their needs.

    Thank you for the opportunity to share my work and vision with you 
today. I look forward to answering your questions.

                                 ______
                                 

                        SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE

                  STATEMENT OF INFORMATION REQUESTED 
                               OF NOMINEE

                      A. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

 1.  Name (include any former names used): Rebecca Ellen Jones Gaston, 
Rebecca Jones Gaston, Bekki Jones Gaston, Bekki Jones, Rebecca Jones.

 2.  Position to which nominated: Commissioner for the Administration 
on Children, Youth, and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services.

 3.  Date of nomination: January 7, 2022.

 4.  Address (list current residence, office, and mailing addresses):

 5.  Date and place of birth: October 25, 1969; Mankato, Minnesota.

 6.  Marital status (include maiden name of wife or husband's name):

 7.  Names and ages of children:

 8.  Education (list all secondary and higher education institutions, 
dates attended, degree received, and date degree granted):

        Roland-Story High School, Story City, Iowa.
        August 1984-May 1988.
        High School Diploma, May 1988.

        Georgetown University, Washington, DC.
        August 1988-May 1994.
        Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, May 1994.

        University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
        August 1995--May 1997.
        Master's of Social Work, May 1997.

 9.  Employment record (list all jobs held since college, including the 
title or description of job, name of employer, location of work, and 
dates of employment for each job):


------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Company/Agency             Position            Dates of Employment
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oregon Department of    Director, Child         October 2019-present
 Human Services          Welfare
 
Salem, OR
ICF Capacity Building   Consultant              July 2019 August 2019
 Center for States
 
Fairfax, VA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maryland Department of  Executive Director,     January 2016-November
 Human Services          Social Services         2019
                         Administration
 
Baltimore, MD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jones & James           One time Consulting,    Summer 2014
                         Strategic Plan for
                         the Center for Law
                         and Social Policy
 
Waldorf, MD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Casey Family Programs   Technical Assistance
                         Unit
                       -------------------------------------------------
                        Director                2013-December 2015
                       -------------------------------------------------
HQ--Seattle, WA         Project Manager         June 2012-2013
                       -------------------------------------------------
 Washington, DC office  Manager                 March 2007-2012
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adoption Exchange       National Campaign and   March 2003-March 2007
 Association             Fulfillment Director,
                         AdoptUsKids
 
White Marsh, MD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Army               One-time Diversity      Summer 2005 (est.)
                         workshop
 
Tempe, AZ
------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Association    Director, Group Home    July 2002-March 2003
 of Former Foster        Programs
 Children of America
 (NAFFCA)
 
Washington, DC
------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Center on      Program Coordinator     December 2000-July 2002
 Permanency for
 African American
 Children (Howard
 University)
 
Washington, DC
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Child and Family        Social Worker           March 1999-December 2000
 Services Agency
 
Washington, DC
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Family and Child        Social Worker           January 1998-March 1999
 Services
 
Washington, DC
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Center for Adoption     Social Worker--         1998-2009 (volunteered
 Support and Education   Clinical Counselor or   and assisted with
                         Group Leader            events ad hoc until
                                                 2015)
 
Burtonsville, MD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adoptions Together      Social Worker           1997-1998
 
Silver Spring, MD
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marion Adoption         Contract Student        June 1996-May 1997
                         Social Worker
 
Plymouth Meeting, PA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
University of           Safety Assistant        1995-1997
 Pennsylvania Security
 Office
 
Philadelphia, PA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
DC Halfway House        Residential Counselor   1994-1995 (est.)
 
Washington, DC
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Red Top Cab             Dispatch Operator       1994-1995
 
Arlington, VA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
CACI                    Records Reviewer        1994 (est.)
 
Alexandria, VA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Services,     Residential Counselor   1994-1995 (est.)
 Inc.
 
Alexandria, VA
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Georgetown University   Administrative          1990-1995
                         Assistant Work Study   1988-1990
                         Student
 
Washington, DC
------------------------------------------------------------------------


10.  Government experience (list any current and former advisory, 
consultative, honorary, or other part-time service or positions with 
Federal, State, or local governments held since college, including 
dates, other than those listed above):

        None other than listed above.

11.  Business relationships (list all current and former positions held 
as an officer, director, trustee, partner (e.g., limited partner, non-
voting, etc.), proprietor, agent, representative, or consultant of any 
corporation, company, firm, partnership, other business enterprise, or 
educational or other institution):

        Black Administrators in Child Welfare: Board Member, 2021-
        present (unpaid and non-fiduciary).

        American Public Human Services Association: Committee Member 
        for National Association of Public Child Welfare 
        Administrators, 2018-present (unpaid and non-fiduciary).

        Child Welfare League of America: Conference Committee Member, 
        2018-present.

        Center for Adoption Support and Education: Board Member, 2015 
        (unpaid and non-fiduciary).

        National Training Institute: Advisory Board-Adoption Competency 
        Project, 2014-2019 (unpaid and non-fiduciary).

        Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute: Foster Youth 
        Internship Selection Committee, 2003-2021 (unpaid and non-
        fiduciary).

12.  Memberships (list all current and former memberships, as well as 
any current and former offices held in professional, fraternal, 
scholarly, civic, business, charitable, and other organizations dating 
back to college, including dates for these memberships and offices):

        National Association of Social Workers: Periodic member since 
        1997, not currently a member.

        National Association of Black Social Workers: Periodic member 
        since 1997, not currently a member.

        Graduate Black Student Association: Member, 1995-1997.

        Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.: Member, March 1990-present; 
        Basileus (chapter president, Omicron Pi Chapter), 1991-1992 
        (not currently active).

        Black Student Association: Member, 1988-1994.

13.  Political affiliations and activities:

        a.  List all public offices for which you have been a candidate 
        dating back to the age of 18.

       N/A.

        b.  List all memberships and offices held in and services 
        rendered to all political parties or election committees, 
        currently and during the last 10 years prior to the date of 
        your nomination.

       N/A.

        c.  Itemize all political contributions to any individual, 
        campaign organization, political party, political action 
        committee, or similar entity of $50 or more for the past 10 
        years prior to the date of your nomination.

       N/A.

14.  Honors and awards (list all scholarships, fellowships, honorary 
degrees, honorary society memberships, military medals, and any other 
special recognitions for outstanding service or achievement received 
since the age of 18):

        Casey Family Programs, Outstanding Employee Award (2014 and 
        2015).

        University of Pennsylvania, Emily Brown Porreca Memorial Award 
        (1997).

        University of Pennsylvania, Samuel Sylvester Award and 
        Certificate of Merit (1997).

        Georgetown University, Louis Maghill Award (1994).

15.  Published writings (list the titles, publishers, dates, and 
hyperlinks (as applicable) of all books, articles, reports, blog posts, 
or other published materials you have written):

        Oregon Department of Human Services, Child Welfare Division, 
        ``Vision for Transformation'' (November 2020).

        Maryland Department of Human Services, Social Services 
        Administration, ``Integrated Practice Model for Child Welfare 
        and Adult Services: A Framework for Maryland's Human Services 
        Workforce'' (January 2019).

        CWLA Special Issue Vol. 82 No 2, 2003, article, ``A Model of 
        Culture-Centered Child Welfare Practice,'' by Oronde Miller and 
        Rebecca Jones Gaston.

16.  Speeches (list all formal speeches and presentations (e.g., 
PowerPoint) you have delivered during the past 5 years which are on 
topics relevant to the position for which you have been nominated, 
including dates):


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Speech Forum                             Date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Panel Discussion with Our Children Oregon                        9/2021
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Presentation to the Oregon Senate Committee on Human             2/2021
 Services, Mental Health and Recovery
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Child Welfare League of America Annual Conference                4/2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------
American Bar Association, National Conference on Access          4/2019
 to Justice for Children and Families
------------------------------------------------------------------------
American Public Human Services Association, ISM                  9/2018
 Technology Annual Conference
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Child Abuse, Neglect and Dependency Options, Annual        10/2016-P10/
 Maryland Court Conference                                         2019
------------------------------------------------------------------------


17.  Qualifications (state what, in your opinion, qualifies you to 
serve in the position to which you have been nominated):

        I was born in Minnesota and was adopted following a number of 
        foster care placements. For most of my childhood, I grew up 
        with my adoptive family in a small Iowa farming community of 
        approximately 2,500. My life experiences have been shaped by 
        the loss and grief of family separation, and the immeasurable 
        love for my children and family and the hope I hold for 
        vulnerable communities. I have also been shaped by the 
        intersectional experiences of a rural upbringing with an urban 
        coming of age, as well as lived experiences both leading and 
        being a part of foster care systems in America.

        If there is one thing that is clear to me it's that my purpose 
        is to be a voice for all children and families, particularly 
        for those who experience the worst societal outcomes. And that 
        is what I have been doing for almost 25 years--work that is 
        informed by both my personal and professional commitments and 
        experiences. I was trusted to help to lead transformation 
        efforts at child welfare agencies and social services agencies 
        under both Democratic and Republican Governors, and I have sat 
        side by side with families in the system as a person with lived 
        experience, and as a parent, an advocate, social worker, and 
        therapist.

        My extensive experience leading child welfare agencies, 
        recruiting foster and adoptive families across the Nation, and 
        providing leadership and technical assistance to 
        jurisdictions--through foundations and through executive level 
        roles within State Governments from coast to coast, as well as 
        my own lived experience as a child in foster care and an 
        adoptee--qualify me for the Commissioner of the Administration 
        on Children, Youth, and Families. I have a deep understanding 
        of what it will take to transform child welfare systems across 
        the Nation into family well-being systems, and I am eager to 
        get to work to ensure these systems best serve children and 
        families.

        Currently, I lead Oregon's child welfare system. When I came to 
        Oregon, the child welfare agency was in need of true 
        transformation--lawsuits, leadership changes, staffing and 
        infrastructure challenges, and data that pointed to a real need 
        for strategic revisioning of how to become a family well-being 
        system and one primed for true partnership with Tribes, 
        communities, and families. Working with my leadership team, 
        those who experience the system, Tribes, private- and public-
        sector partners, I developed a strategic plan focused on 
        preventing children and families from entering the system at 
        all. Now, Oregon's child welfare agency is well on its way 
        towards transformation. For example, despite the onset of 
        COVID-19 4 months after I started leading the agency, we have 
        been able to dramatically decrease the number of children under 
        our care, in part by partnering with those most impacted to 
        create buy-in for the hard work ahead.

        I led similar change as the head of the Social Services 
        Administration in Maryland, where I served under the leadership 
        of Republican Governor Larry Hogan. In both Oregon and 
        Maryland, I developed the State child welfare agency's Family 
        First Prevention Services Plan and got both approved. If 
        confirmed, I look forward to helping other States do the same 
        so children and families do not have to wait any longer to reap 
        the benefits of this landmark law. Moving any child welfare 
        system to a family well-being model requires centering equity 
        and inclusion and collaborating with all those who are touched 
        by the system--most importantly children and families. Those 
        who experience the child welfare system should have a role in 
        changing it and often know best how to do so.

        Prior to my roles in Oregon and Maryland, I was the national 
        campaign director for AdoptUSKids, the first national ad 
        campaign for recruiting foster and adoptive families. I made 
        sure that this campaign was informed by foster and adoptive 
        families. I am proud of our work to ensure that children do not 
        languish in the system. Prior to this role, I was the director 
        of Casey Family Programs and worked with child welfare agencies 
        across the Nation to implement innovative strategies and 
        Federal policies and programs.

                   B. FUTURE EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS

 1.  Will you sever all connections (including participation in future 
benefit arrangements) with your present employers, business firms, 
associations, or organizations if you are confirmed by the Senate? If 
not, provide details.

        Yes.

 2.  Do you have any plans, commitments, or agreements to pursue 
outside employment, with or without compensation, during your service 
with the government? If so, provide details.

        No.

 3.  Has any person or entity made a commitment or agreement to employ 
your services in any capacity after you leave government service? If 
so, provide details.

        No.

 4.  If you are confirmed by the Senate, do you expect to serve out 
your full term or until the next presidential election, whichever is 
applicable? If not, explain.

        Yes.

                   C. POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

 1.  Indicate any current and former investments, obligations, 
liabilities, or other personal relationships, including spousal or 
family employment, which could involve potential conflicts of interest 
in the position to which you have been nominated.

        Any potential conflict of interest will be resolved in 
        accordance with the terms of my ethics agreement, which was 
        developed in consultation with ethics officials at the 
        Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
        Government Ethics. I understand that my ethics agreement has 
        been provided to the committee. I am not aware of any potential 
        conflict other than those addressed by my ethics agreement.

 2.  Describe any business relationship, dealing, or financial 
transaction which you have had during the last 10 years (prior to the 
date of your nomination), whether for yourself, on behalf of a client, 
or acting as an agent, that could in any way constitute or result in a 
possible conflict of interest in the position to which you have been 
nominated.

        Any potential conflict of interest will be resolved in 
        accordance with the terms of my ethics agreement, which was 
        developed in consultation with ethics officials at the 
        Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
        Government Ethics. I understand that my ethics agreement has 
        been provided to the committee. I am not aware of any potential 
        conflict other than those addressed by my ethics agreement.

 3.  Describe any activity during the past 10 years (prior to the date 
of your nomination) in which you have engaged for the purpose of 
directly or indirectly influencing the passage, defeat, or modification 
of any legislation or affecting the administration and execution of law 
or public policy. Activities performed as an employee of the Federal 
Government need not be listed.

        In my tenure as Executive Director, Social Services 
        Administration at the Maryland Department of Human Services and 
        in my tenure as Child Welfare Director at Oregon Department of 
        Human Services, I have been involved in a number of legislative 
        and public policy issues at the State level on behalf of my 
        respective Departments and Administrations. In these roles, I 
        have also been involved in informing and educating at the 
        Federal level on human services policies of concern to Maryland 
        and Oregon.

 4.  Explain how you will resolve any potential conflict of interest, 
including any that are disclosed by your responses to the above items. 
(Provide the committee with two copies of any trust or other 
agreements.)

        Any potential conflict of interest will be resolved in 
        accordance with the terms of my ethics agreement, which was 
        developed in consultation with ethics officials at the 
        Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of 
        Government Ethics. I understand that my ethics agreement has 
        been provided to the committee. I am not aware of any potential 
        conflict other than those addressed by my ethics agreement.

 5.  Two copies of written opinions should be provided directly to the 
committee by the designated agency ethics officer of the agency to 
which you have been nominated and by the Office of Government Ethics 
concerning potential conflicts of interest or any legal impediments to 
your serving in this position.

        I understand that my ethics agreement has been provided to the 
        committee.

                       D. LEGAL AND OTHER MATTERS

 1.  Have you ever been the subject of a complaint or been 
investigated, disciplined, or otherwise cited for a breach of ethics 
for unprofessional conduct before any court, administrative agency 
(e.g., an Inspector General's office), professional association, 
disciplinary committee, or other ethics enforcement entity at any time? 
Have you ever been interviewed regarding your own conduct as part of 
any such inquiry or investigation? If so, provide details, regardless 
of the outcome.

        No

 2.  Have you ever been investigated, arrested, charged, or held by any 
Federal, State, or other law enforcement authority for a violation of 
any Federal, State, county, or municipal law, regulation, or ordinance, 
other than a minor traffic offense? Have you ever been interviewed 
regarding your own conduct as part of any such inquiry or 
investigation? If so, provide details.

        No.

 3.  Have you ever been involved as a party in interest in any 
administrative agency proceeding or civil litigation? If so, provide 
details.

        I have not been involved in any administrative proceedings or 
        civil litigation in my personal capacity. I have been named in 
        litigation in my official capacity as Director of the Oregon 
        Department of Human Services.

 4.  Have you ever been convicted (including pleas of guilty or nolo 
contendere) of any criminal violation other than a minor traffic 
offense? If so, provide details.

        No.

 5.  Please advise the committee of any additional information, 
favorable or unfavorable, which you feel should be considered in 
connection with your nomination.

        N/A.

                     E. TESTIFYING BEFORE CONGRESS

 1.  If you are confirmed by the Senate, are you willing to appear and 
testify before any duly constituted committee of the Congress on such 
occasions as you may be reasonably requested to do so?

        Yes.

 2.  If you are confirmed by the Senate, are you willing to provide 
such information as is requested by such committees?

        Yes.

                                 ______
                                 
     Questions Submitted for the Record to Rebecca E. Jones Gaston
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Ron Wyden
                             mental health
    Question. One cross-cutting issue the Finance Committee is looking 
into is mental health. This week, we hosted the Surgeon General to hear 
specifically about his recent advisory on youth mental health. This is 
going to be a major priority for the committee moving forward, both in 
terms of continuing to implement the Family First Prevention Services 
Act and looking forward to the reauthorization of title IV-B child 
welfare programs by the end of this Congress.

    Can you address how you will prioritize youth mental health needs 
in your work implementing Family First, and within the title IV-B 
programs?

    Are there other initiatives focused on youth mental health you plan 
to implement?

    Answer. If confirmed, I am committed to moving our child welfare 
system from a system of placing children outside of the home to one 
that focuses on prevention and family well-being. A family well-being 
system is only possible if we address the mental health and well-being 
of parents, caregivers, and children. I would focus on swift 
implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act and 
supporting more States to submit successful plans that can fully take 
advantage of the law's focus on parental well-being. In addition, I 
would look forward to working with you on the reauthorization of IV-B 
and a deeper focus on evidenced-based prevention strategies.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell
    Question. One of the harsh realities that the COVID-19 pandemic 
exposed is the lack of affordable child-care options in the United 
States. During the pandemic, parents, mostly women, were forced to 
balance online learning, their own jobs, taking care of their children, 
and many other tasks.

    This has led to women quitting the workforce in unprecedented 
numbers during the pandemic so that they can take care of the needs of 
their families. According to the National Women's Law Center, women in 
the United States have lost more than 5.4 million net jobs since 
February, 2020.

    In Washington State and many other parts of the country, child care 
was already difficult to find even before COVID-19. Some parents end up 
having to place their children on wait lists while others can't find 
any affordable or available options.

    It is estimated that the average cost of licensed infant care can 
consume about 20 percent of an average Washington family's income. The 
child-care industry in my home State is also facing high staff turnover 
caused by low wages and other concerns.

    The lack of child care does not just take a toll on women and 
families, but also on the economy. I have supported legislation to 
provide tax credits for working families who may need help paying the 
cost of child care. I was also pleased to see that the House-passed 
Build Back Better Act included a $100-billion investment to support 
high-quality child care.

    We must explore more options to improve child care access in the 
United States to make families' lives easier, and also to help with the 
social and economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    In your opinion, what are the main causes of the child care 
shortage today? How has COVID-19 made the situation worse?

    If confirmed, how would you work to improve affordable child-care 
access through your respective roles? What approach would you take to 
fix this issue?

    Answer. A stable child-care sector is essential for both the 
healthy development of children and the ability of parents to fully 
participate in the workforce. While child care would not be under my 
direct purview if confirmed as Commissioner, this issue greatly affects 
the children and families who ACYF supports, and I would look forward 
to supporting ACF and congressional efforts on this issue where 
possible.

                                 ______
                                 
            Question Submitted by Hon. Robert P. Casey, Jr.
                                 capta
    Question. I have long supported CAPTA's so-called ``plans of safe 
care,'' which Congress created as a tool to support infants whose 
parents or caregivers are affected by substance use disorder and to 
prevent these infants from being placed into foster care if they may 
safely remain with their families. I am engaged in ongoing discussions 
with constituents, stakeholders and policy-makers in Congress and the 
administration about how we can continue to strengthen this vital 
support for vulnerable infants, and I would like to ask for your 
commitment to join those conversations and help us make plans of safe 
care the best tool they can be to protect infants.

    How will you work on this issue?

    Answer. If confirmed, I am committed to moving our child welfare 
system toward a family well-being system. The Plans of Safe Care 
provisions within the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act provide 
an important tool to bring together a care team to help support a 
family struggling with substance use disorder and provide the necessary 
services to keep a child safe and keep the family together. I have 
worked extensively on plans of safe care in both Maryland and Oregon, 
and if confirmed, I would look forward to working closely with you and 
other partners on this issue.

                                 ______
                                 
             Questions Submitted by Hon. Sheldon Whitehouse
    Question. How can the Administration for Children and Families work 
to improve housing stability for families and young adults living in 
unstable or unsafe housing or who are homeless?

    Answer. All families and young people deserve the security of 
having a safe place to call home. ACF plays a significant role in 
providing services to children and families experiencing homelessness. 
If confirmed, I commit to working within ACF, and with partner agencies 
such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other 
partners, to ensure our most vulnerable children, youth, and families, 
including those experiencing homelessness, are supported.

    Question. Do you agree it is important to embed a focus on 
diversity, cultural competency, and equity in the programs administered 
by ACF? How will you incorporate these metrics into your evaluations of 
programs administered by ACF?

    Answer. As you know, the Biden-Harris administration and Secretary 
Becerra are committed to advancing equity and support for underserved 
communities, as reflected in the executive order the President signed 
on his first day in office, ``Advancing Racial Equity and Support for 
Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.'' If confirmed, 
I will strive to advance this goal in all ACF's work. The Children's 
Bureau, for example, reviews States' child welfare practices through 
its Child and Family Services Reviews. I intend to explore how to use 
this and other vehicles at our disposal to assist States in assessing 
and addressing equity issues in their child welfare systems. I would 
also work to advance ACF's recent Information Memorandum, Equity in 
Action: Prioritizing and Advancing Racial Equity and Support for 
Underserved Communities, which outlines ACF's unequivocal commitment to 
address disparities.

    Question. What is your position on increasing flexibility for 
States to provide benefits youth and young adults under the Chafee 
Foster Care for Successful Transition to Adulthood Program? What is 
your position on extending benefits to young adults exiting foster care 
as was provided through the Division X of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act of 2021? Do you see this initiative as requiring 
additional funding?

    Answer. The supports offered by the Chafee program for older foster 
youth and those transitioning out of care can be the difference between 
former foster youth going to college or getting a job and youth ending 
up without a roof over their heads. The increased resources and 
flexibilities Congress provided have been critical, and if confirmed, I 
would work to examine what worked among those flexibilities and hear 
from those young people about their experiences.

    Question. If confirmed, how will you expand the list of evidence-
based programs that qualify for reimbursement under the Family First 
Prevention Act (title IV-E) program?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will work to ensure that the title IV-E 
Prevention Services Clearinghouse has adequate resources to be able to 
review and rate programs in a timely manner. I believe this must 
include programs that are focused specifically on serving historically 
underserved communities. I will also support the continued development 
of evidence-based practices through support of quality evaluation.

    Question. Are there any additional wraparound services that the 
Federal Government should provide to support families where a parent 
has a SUD?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will work across ACF programs and with 
other entities within HHS, including SAMHSA, to support families 
impacted by substance use disorder. In addition, I am committed to 
fully implementing the Family First Prevention Services Act to deliver 
evidence-based supports to more parents struggling with substance use 
disorder.

    Question. If confirmed, what steps would you take to provide 
parents with the tools to protect their children from counterfeit pills 
and other narcotics?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will work with other Operating Divisions 
within the Department, including FDA, SAMHSA, and the CDC, to 
counteract the impacts of illicit drug use on the children and families 
ACYF serves.

                                 ______
                                 
           Questions Submitted by Hon. Catherine Cortez Masto
    Question. Local jurisdictions are working hard to get Family First 
programs off the ground. So many of the challenges they face don't need 
a statutory change, but rather willing agency partners. Will you commit 
to working with those States and counties to ensure that the 
administration is doing everything possible to support a smooth 
implementation process?

    Answer. If confirmed, successful implementation of the Family First 
Prevention Services Act will be a top priority. This law represents a 
unique opportunity to re- orient our child welfare system toward 
prevention and family well-being. I am committed to working with 
States, counties, Tribes, and other partners to provide the guidance 
and technical assistance needed for all communities to benefit from 
this law.

    Question. Recently, the Finance Committee heard from Dr. Vivek 
Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, about the children's mental health 
crisis. What do you see as your role in addressing kids' mental health 
needs? Based on your previous experience, where can we do better in 
breaking down silos between Federal programs and arming you with the 
resources you'll need?

    Answer. The Family First law and upcoming reauthorization of title 
IV-B provide many opportunities to address the mental health needs of 
young people and families involved in the child welfare system. If 
confirmed, my priority will be to move our child welfare system toward 
a system of family well-being that focuses on keeping families 
together.

    Question. Child welfare programs are seeing increases in cases 
where children have very acute social and behavioral challenges. These 
cases require intensive services that are often not available in a home 
setting. In Nevada, Clark County is facing a crisis in finding 
facilities to provide the necessary treatment for them. This lack of 
providers too often has resulted in kids spending time in inappropriate 
care settings while they wait for treatment. What can the Federal 
Government do to partner with counties to ensure that these children 
and their families receive the intensive services they need and deserve 
in the most clinically appropriate treatment setting?

    Answer. As we increase our focus on keeping families together, it 
is possible that the children who end up in out-of-home placements will 
have acute and specialized needs. I believe that our goal should be to 
provide children with the care they need when they need it and in the 
most appropriate setting to deliver that care. If confirmed, I will 
work to address the needs of all children involved in the child welfare 
system.

                                 ______
                                 
              Questions Submitted by Hon. Elizabeth Warren
    Question. Tribal Nations provide critical child welfare services 
and adjudicate child welfare matters. However, as they attempt to 
exercise their sovereignty to protect Tribal families, they often face 
barriers to accessing Federal funding and are subjected to policies 
that interfere with their ability to establish effective programs.

    It is of the utmost importance that the Federal Government protect 
Tribal sovereignty and advance Tribal self-determination. And as 
President Biden stated in a Presidential Memorandum, ``History 
demonstrates that we best serve Native American people when Tribal 
Governments are empowered to lead their communities, and when Federal 
officials speak with and listen to Tribal leaders in formulating 
Federal policy that affects Tribal Nations.''

    How do you believe the Federal Government could remove barriers to 
Federal funding and other barriers that interfere with Tribal Nations' 
abilities to establish effective programs?

    Answer. If confirmed, I would ensure that ACYF remains strongly 
committed to working in partnership with Tribes, Tribal organizations, 
and urban Indian organizations. The Biden-Harris administration is 
committed to regular, meaningful, and robust consultation and 
collaboration, and at ACYF, I would work to ensure ACYF respects the 
unique government-to-government relationship that exists between the 
U.S. Federal Government and Tribal Governments. If confirmed, I look 
forward to working with Tribal leaders on identifying barriers that 
limit access to Federal funding and other resources and working 
collaboratively to identify and implement solutions that remove those 
barriers.

    Question. The Federal Government has a trust responsibility to 
protect American Indian and Alaska Native children, and as the Senate 
stated in a resolution it adopted (S. Res. 707, 115th Congress), Tribal 
Nations have the inherent sovereign authority to be involved in child 
welfare decisions. Today, numerous Tribal Nations are developing 
promising child abuse prevention strategies that are reducing the risk 
of child abuse and helping children stay safely at home rather than 
being placed in foster care.

    There are nine federally recognized Tribal Nations in Oregon. How 
did you support Tribal child welfare programs through your position as 
Child Welfare Director of Oregon's Department of Human Services?

    Answer. In Oregon I worked closely with Tribal Governments and 
Tribal leaders to improve delivery of child welfare services and ensure 
we were supporting them in a culturally competent manner that accounted 
for their unique needs. Recognizing the sovereignty of Tribal 
Governments and establishing relationships based on transparency and 
accountability were critical to this work, and if confirmed, I am 
committed to bringing that same focus to ACYF.

    Question. How would you support Tribal welfare programs if you are 
confirmed as ACYF Commissioner?

    Answer. If confirmed, I will listen to the needs of Tribes and look 
forward to providing robust technical assistance and support that 
recognizes the unique needs of Tribes while respecting the government-
to-government relationship. In Oregon, I have worked closely with the 
nine federally recognized Tribes to increase access to prevention 
services, keep families together, and deliver services in a culturally 
competent manner.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Mike Crapo
    Question. According to the Adoption Foster Care Analysis Reporting 
system, the foster care system has served over 600,000 children each 
year for the past 10 years. For many States, faith-based organizations 
provide the majority of child welfare services to these foster 
children. In order to best prioritize the well-being and safety of this 
vulnerable population, the Federal Government must continue to 
collaborate and support a wide variety organizations dedicated to 
providing these services.

    Can you please speak to the important role that faith-based 
providers play in the child welfare system?

    Answer. I have closely worked with faith-based providers throughout 
my career and firmly believe that when it comes to the well-being of 
children, we need everyone at the table. Faith-based providers are a 
critical part of the child welfare system, and if confirmed, I would 
work closely with the faith sector.

    Question. If confirmed, how will you communicate and collaborate 
with faith-based organizations and providers, so they can continue to 
help serve this vulnerable community?

    Answer. As I have in Oregon, I would seek to collaborate with the 
faith-based sector, listening to their needs and ideas to better serve 
children and families. It is important that ACYF provides clear 
guidance to all partners, including faith-based organizations. If 
confirmed, you have my commitment to partnering with and working 
closely with faith-based organizations.

                                 ______
                                 
                Questions Submitted by Hon. John Cornyn
                              foster youth
    Question. You will be charged with carrying out policies impacting 
foster youth. These individuals are among the most vulnerable 
Americans, and we need to make sure the foster care system works for 
them, not the other way around.

    Sadly, we have thousands of children in the foster care system who 
go missing each year. In 2019, there were a total of 423,997 children 
in foster care. Of that population, about 1 percent or 4,115 children 
were designated as ``runaway.'' Some foster care advocacy groups do not 
think these data on runaways are accurate as some cases are 
preemptively closed out, even though many of those children are likely 
to return. However, the data is not conclusive and remains incomplete.

    Fortunately, the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting 
System (AFCARS) will soon be updated to more accurately reflect where a 
child stands in the foster care system. I plan on sending the 
administration a letter regarding this change and how we can get this 
up and running as soon as possible. I am also working on draft 
legislation to create a feedback loop from States to ACF, which will 
provide technical assistance at the Children's Bureau to update best 
practices on preventing and mitigating runaway episodes as well as 
caring for missing and runaway foster youth.

    How do you plan to address the issue of missing and runaway foster 
youth?

    Answer. I strongly believe in the importance of data and evidence 
in driving decisions in the child welfare system and doing what is in 
the best interests of children. If confirmed, I am looking forward to 
working with you to continue to ensure that AFCARS is collecting and 
reporting data that will help us to keep children safe and move us 
toward a system of child and family well-being. It is critical that we 
both account for children who have left their placements and understand 
why they have left so we can provide the support they need to stay 
safe. You have my commitment to work on this issue with you.

    Question. If confirmed, will you prioritize accelerating the update 
to AFCARS and provide Congress with periodical progress reports?

    Answer. If confirmed, I commit to keeping you and the committee up 
to date about all programs within ACYF. I understand the critical 
importance of AFCARS and would look forward to working closely with you 
on all needed updates to the system.

                                 ______
                                 
                Question Submitted by Hon. Richard Burr
    Question. If you are confirmed you will play a key role in the 
development of Federal policy related to youth in the child welfare 
system.

    Senator Feinstein and I have introduced a bill to ensure that 
foster children placed in qualified residential treatment programs, or 
QRTPs, with more than 16 beds would not lose eligibility for Medicaid 
because of an antiquated law often called the ``IMD exclusion.''

    QRTPs are required by law to have a trauma-informed treatment model 
designed to address the clinical needs of foster children with serious 
emotional or behavioral issues. In other words, these programs are 
legally required to provide a clinically appropriate level of care for 
vulnerable foster children who are in serious need of such care.

    Do you believe that children receiving treatment in QRTPs should 
lose their Medicaid coverage if that QRTP has more than 16 beds?

    Answer. If confirmed, my priority will be to ensure that ACYF is 
doing everything to ensure that all children receive the care they 
need, when they need it, and in the setting that is best able to 
provide that care. In Oregon, I have worked closely with the State 
Medicaid agency to support providers in implementing and understanding 
the Family First Prevention Services Act and other policies where 
Medicaid and child welfare intersect. If confirmed, I would continue 
that collaboration at the Federal level with an eye toward getting 
clear and comprehensive guidance to States, counties, and providers, 
and working to solve any barriers that prevent children from receiving 
the best care and support possible.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Questions Submitted by Hon. Tim Scott
    Question. In December, Congressman Ralph Norman and I led a letter 
with 102 of our colleagues regarding the rescission of waivers from 
faith-based providers in South Carolina, Texas, and Michigan. Miracle 
Hill in South Carolina had their waiver revoked. This is a shame, 
especially since Miracle Hill does important work to recruit foster 
families in accordance with their religious beliefs and place children 
in need of a home in their care. To further this point, studies suggest 
that 82 percent of families cited faith or church support as a factor 
that facilitated successful fostering.

    If confirmed, will you commit to protecting religious adoption and 
foster care providers by ensuring they are able fully participate in 
the adoption and foster care systems without violating their religious 
exercise?

    If confirmed, will you commit to reinstating the waiver to Miracle 
Hill in South Carolina in order to ensure that this organization can 
continue their critical work of finding children a home?

    If not, will I at least receive a written response to the 20 
questions that were posed by members of Congress in the letter?

    Additionally, if Miracle Hill's waiver is not reinstated, can you 
explain why the Supreme Court in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia 
unanimously concluded that faith-based child welfare providers should 
be able to provide adoption and foster care services in accordance with 
their beliefs, but the Biden administration is choosing to ignore this 
important decision from our Nation's highest court?

    If confirmed, when discrepancies arise, will you commit to 
consulting career professionals in the Conscience and Religious Freedom 
Division before taking action with regard to cases involving religious 
institutions or providers?

    Answer. I have closely worked with faith-based providers throughout 
my career and firmly believe that when it comes to the well-being of 
children, we need everyone at the table. Faith-based providers are a 
critical part of the child welfare system, and if confirmed, I would 
work closely with the faith sector.

    If confirmed, I will follow the law. I deeply respect the oversight 
function of Congress and this committee. I am committed to ensuring 
that the Department is responsive to oversight requests, like your 
letter, and provides Congress with the information that it needs 
consistent with appropriate law and regulation.

    If confirmed, I will work with the career subject matter experts 
within ACYF and the Department to come to the best decisions possible 
for the children and families ACYF is entrusted with serving.

                                 ______
                                 
                Question Submitted by Hon. Bill Cassidy
    Question. The passage of the Family First Prevention Services Act 
in 2018 brought numerous opportunities for States and Tribes to access 
Federal resources to safely support families, in lieu of unnecessary 
family disruption and placement in foster care. There also are 
considerable avenues through Medicaid to support these types of 
services. States, Tribes, and numerous stakeholders have elevated the 
need for better coordination and communication among the agencies in 
HHS--namely CMS and ACF. It's been years, and still these challenges 
exist. In your role as the ACYF Commissioner should you be confirmed, 
how will you move this effort forward to provide meaningful, responsive 
information to jurisdictions to ease these challenges?

    Answer. If confirmed, I am committed to listening to States, 
counties, and providers about challenges and opportunities related to 
the implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act, 
including the Qualified Residential Treatment Program provisions. Given 
the complex interactions with Medicaid, I am committed to working with 
CMS and other parts of the Department to provide clear and responsive 
guidance to the field. My top priority will be ensuring that children 
receive the type of care they need in a setting that is most 
appropriate to delivery that care. If confirmed, I look forward to 
working with you on this issue.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. James Lankford
                       faith-based child welfare
    Question. Faith-based child welfare providers perform vital 
services for hundreds of thousands of foster children nationwide and 
are often the best at finding forever homes for children in need. 
According to HHS's AFCARS report, 407,493 children are in foster care, 
117,470 of whom are waiting to be adopted.

    Unfortunately, one day before the 2021 AFCARS report came out, HHS 
announced the rescission of waivers that were previously granted to 
faith-based adoption and foster care agencies in Michigan, Texas, and 
South Carolina, which put providers in these States in the untenable 
position of choosing between serving children or operating in 
accordance with the tenets of their faith.

    Earlier this year, the Supreme Court unanimously validated the 
principle that religious adoption agencies have a right to be free from 
discriminatory exclusion from adoption and foster care programs because 
of their beliefs in Fulton v. Philadelphia. The Supreme Court found 
that ``the refusal of Philadelphia to contract with Catholic Social 
Services for the provision of foster care services unless it agrees to 
certify same-sex couples as foster parents cannot survive strict 
scrutiny, and violates the First Amendment.'' However, HHS and the 
Biden administration appear to be ignoring the Court's clear direction 
that religious foster care agencies cannot be shut down because of 
their religious beliefs.

    A number of my colleagues and I wrote to Secretary Becerra on this 
issue last year, but we have yet to receive a response

    Do you agree that our primary goal should be safe, loving, and 
permanent placements for all children?

    Answer. Yes.

    Question. Do you agree that faith-based adoption and foster care 
agencies should be able to continue to partner with the government to 
serve children and families without sacrificing their sincerely held 
religious beliefs?

    Answer. I have closely worked with faith-based providers throughout 
my career and firmly believe that when it comes to the well-being of 
children, we need everyone at the table. Faith-based providers are a 
critical part of the child welfare system, and if confirmed, I would 
work closely with the faith sector.

    Question. Do you agree that without faith-based providers, our 
Nation would be unable to properly care for the number of children in 
need of homes and families?

    Answer. Faith-based providers are absolutely essential to our child 
welfare system.

    Question. If confirmed, will you commit to maintaining the notice 
of non-
enforcement for the 2016 grants rule and disavow its enforcement moving 
forward?

    Answer. It is my understanding that this is an issue that spans 
across the Department. If confirmed, I will look into how the 
Department is addressing this issue and report back to Congress. I also 
commit to doing everything in my power as, if confirmed, to ensure that 
grantees and their beneficiaries are not unfairly discriminated 
against.

    Question. If confirmed, will HHS exclude from the title IV-E 
program religious adoption and foster care providers that cannot assist 
in the placement of children in same-sex households without violating 
their religious exercise when those households have alternative 
providers available to assist them in the State?

    Answer. If confirmed, I am committed to working closely with faith-
based providers to ensure that children have the supports they need and 
in the settings that are best positioned to provide those supports.

                                 ______
                                 
               Questions Submitted by Hon. John Barrasso
    Question. Faith-based organizations play an important role in the 
child welfare system. The actions of the Biden administration are 
making it more difficult for these groups to participate in the 
process. This continues a troubling pattern of the Department of Health 
and Human Services discriminating against people and organizations of 
faith.

    On November 18, 2021, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 
through the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and Office 
for Civil Rights (OCR), announced it was withdrawing waivers previously 
granted under the Trump administration. Please explain your position on 
this decision.

    Please describe how you will help faith-based groups participate in 
the child welfare process and identify previous professional 
experiences where you have specifically worked with faith-based groups.

    Please describe how you will ensure faith-based organizations will 
not have to violate their own religious beliefs to participate in 
Federal programs.

    Answer. Faith-based providers are critical to the child welfare 
system. In my current role, I work closely with the faith community and 
understand how essential they are to our safety net. If confirmed, I 
look forward to listening to and working closely with faith-based 
providers, and will follow the law.

    Question. Rural States and communities face unique challenges when 
delivering governmental services.

    Please describe specific instances and experiences where you have 
improved the delivery of social services in rural communities?

    Explain how, if confirmed, you will ensure the policies of the 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) will take into account 
the unique needs of rural States and people.

    Answer. Ensuring equitable access to ACF programs for rural 
communities is critical. If confirmed, I would partner with rural 
communities to identify barriers to accessing ACF programs and would be 
committed to thinking creatively to solve those problems and meet the 
needs of children and families in rural communities. During my career I 
have worked with rural communities and have seen firsthand the issues 
caused by long distances to service providers, lack of reliable 
Internet, and staffing challenges for many providers. I would bring 
that experience to ACF if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed.

    Question. As the former chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs 
Committee, ensuring American Indian and Alaska Native children receive 
the help and support they need is an important personal priority of 
mine.

    Can you please identify previous professional experiences and 
actions where you worked with tribal communities?

    Answer. While with Casey Family Programs, I was the project lead 
for the California Disproportionality Project that had teams from 14 
counties comprised of Tribes and county staff focused on strategies to 
reduce disproportionality and disparity of Tribal communities and 
African American communities. Additionally, in Oregon, the relationship 
with Tribes has been a priority including ensuring membership of Tribes 
within all the advisory groups, as well as the ICWA advisory. In my 
current role, I have also supported the passage and implementation of 
the Oregon Indian Child Welfare Act as well as the implementation 
efforts of prevention and Family First with the Tribes.

    Question. Can you please identify specific policies and ways you 
plan on working with Tribal communities if confirmed?

    Answer. If confirmed, I look forward to working with Tribes to 
support the implementation of prevention and Family First as well as 
the reduction of the disproportionality and disparity of Tribal 
families. Upholding the government-to-government relationship is a 
priority and engaging with Tribal leadership to guide and inform what 
is needed is the process for which I intend to work.

    Question. The Department of Health and Human Services, 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) previously issued a rule 
entitled ``Vaccine and Mask Requirements To Mitigate the Spread of 
COVID-19 in Head Start Programs.''

    Do you believe the scientific data supports the masking of young 
children to participate in Head Start?

    If you believe the masking of young children is justified, please 
provide specific medical or scientific studies to support this 
position.

    Answer. Head Start is a vital resource to many underserved 
communities around the country. Many children served by State child 
welfare systems participate in Head Start. If confirmed, I am committed 
to working closely with the Office of Head Start to collaborate on 
ensuring the well-being of children in Head Start centers. While Head 
Start would not be under my direct purview, if confirmed as 
Commissioner, I would look forward to supporting ACF and congressional 
efforts on this issue where possible, while also following Centers for 
Disease Control (CDC) guidance for masking.

    Question. The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly difficult on 
children who lost the ability to attend in-person school. Teachers are 
classified as mandatory reporters of child abuse and neglect under 
State law, since they are in such frequent and close contact with 
children.

    From a child welfare perspective, can you explain your position on 
the importance of in-person learning?

    Answer. Schools and the supports that students receive in schools 
are an essential part of the safety net for children and families. 
Children do best when they have access to a full range of supports, 
including those provided by in-person learning.

    Question. Human trafficking is a tragedy and must be stopped. The 
actions of the Biden administration are only making the situation 
worse, especially along our southern border. With that being said, the 
Administration for Children and Families plays an important role 
combating human trafficking.

    Can you please identify specific policies you believe Congress 
should consider that would improve the ability of ACF to combat and 
provide assistance to victims of human trafficking?

    Answer. A focus of my career has been combatting human trafficking, 
and I will always carry with me the experiences of clients who have 
been victims of trafficking. If confirmed, I will work closely with 
each component of ACF to incorporate anti-trafficking efforts into our 
programs, particularly in child welfare. In addition, I would listen to 
survivors about what would have made a difference in their situation, 
and I would bring those lessons to ACF programs. I would also look to 
partner with law enforcement. I look forward to working closely with 
you on this issue.

                                 ______
                                 
                 Prepared Statement of Hon. Ron Wyden, 
                       a U.S. Senator From Oregon
    This morning the Finance Committee meets to discuss three 
nominations for important roles in the Biden administration.

    First up, January Contreras is President Biden's nominee to serve 
as Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Children and 
Families. This role is all about overseeing programs that deal with 
caring for some of the most vulnerable people in the country--
particularly young people.

    A big part of that job over the last few years has been the 
implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act, which is a 
once-in-a-generation overhaul of our child welfare system that this 
committee wrote on a bipartisan basis. Family First is designed to help 
families stay together whenever it's safe and possible, instead of 
breaking them up as a matter of course. Implementing that law has 
required a lot of close collaboration between the Federal Government 
and the States. It's been a challenge, particularly under the previous 
administration.

    Fortunately, Ms. Contreras is well-versed in the Family First law. 
Across her decades in public service, Ms. Contreras has championed the 
safety and well-being of women, children, and families. Most recently, 
she's led Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services, a legal aid 
organization for children and young adults who have experienced abuse, 
neglect, family separation, homelessness, and human trafficking. I look 
forward to discussing all these issues with her.

    Now, I always say that the best nomination hearings are the ones 
with nominees from Oregon, and today is no exception. Our second 
nominee today is Rebecca Jones Gaston, President Biden's nominee to 
serve as HHS Commissioner for Children, Youth, and Families.

    Ms. Jones Gaston is a uniquely qualified nominee because she brings 
nearly 25 years of experience in the field of human services and child 
welfare. She currently serves as Child Welfare Director for Oregon's 
Department of Human Services. She is a crusader on behalf of vulnerable 
people. Recently, she has been spending her time providing older youth 
with additional COVID support services and has been at the helm of 
implementing the Family First law in Oregon. I can tell you, she's got 
a lot of fans back home across our State, and she has made Oregon 
families healthier and safer.

    Before she came out west to Oregon, Ms. Jones Gaston served as the 
Executive Director of the Maryland Social Services Administration. In 
fact, she helped design and implement Maryland's plan for Family First 
with Governor Larry Hogan. That means she's worked with officials on 
both sides of the aisle and she's proven she knows how to get things 
done. In my view, President Biden couldn't have picked a better 
nominee. If and when she's confirmed, Oregon's loss will be the 
country's gain.

    Finally, Robert Gordon is President Biden's nominee to serve as HHS 
Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources. Mr. Gordon has worn a lot 
of hats during his career in public service.

    Most recently, he served as Director of the Department of Health 
and Human Services for the State of Michigan, playing a central role in 
the State's pandemic response and managing an agency of 14,000 
employees and a $27-billion budget. Previously, he held senior roles in 
the U.S. Department of Education and at the Office of Management and 
Budget, where he championed evidence-based policymaking to use taxpayer 
dollars wisely. Earlier in his career, Mr. Gordon served as a senior 
official at the New York City Department of Education; a senior aide on 
Capitol Hill; a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg; and a White 
House aide, helping create the AmeriCorps program.

    All in all, Mr. Gordon is a highly experienced public servant. When 
you're working on finances at HHS, the core of your job is upholding 
the guarantee of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health 
Insurance Program--ensuring that those programs and many others under 
the HHS umbrella remain strong for future generations.

    I want to thank all of our witnesses for joining the committee 
today and for their willingness to serve. I look forward to questions.

                                 ______
                                 
                        ALL IN Fostering Futures

                       12081 W. Alameda Pkwy #482

                          Lakewood, CO. 80228

                 Website: www.allinfosteringfutures.org

                           February 10, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

It is my pleasure to recommend Rebecca Jones Gaston, the nominee for 
the Federal Commission for the Administration for Children, Youth and 
Families, Department of Health and Human Services. I have had the 
privilege of working with Ms. Jones Gaston during the last 5 years and 
believe she would be outstanding in this position. It is an area that 
needs strong knowledge and a true dedication on the issues that come 
before this office. She is deeply committed to children and families.

In addition to her 24 years of experience as a social worker she has 
her own lived experience as an adoptee who believes in transforming 
systems. As a Director in Oregon, she led a significant transformation 
collaborating with partners throughout the entire state. This ability 
to collaborate with unusual partners will enhance all she does at ACYF. 
She works with sincere motivation to serve communities and citizens. 
Her dependability and drive are character traits that cannot be taught 
and are crucial to any leadership position. She is a leader in the 
public human services system and has built strong systemic and personal 
relationships as well.

Again, I am honored to support Rebecca Jones Gaston for this position. 
Please contact me if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Lynn A. Johnson
President
                   American Public Health Association

                            800 I Street, NW

                       Washington, DC 20001-3710

                              202-777-2742

                         https://www.apha.org/

October 6, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chair                               Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

On behalf of the American Public Health Association, a diverse 
community of public health professionals that champions the health of 
all people and communities, I write to express our support for the 
nomination of Robert Gordon for assistant secretary for financial 
resources at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He has 
both the knowledge and public health experience to serve in this 
critical role as we continue to address the COVID-19 pandemic and the 
other health challenges we face as a nation.

Mr. Gordon currently serves as senior counselor at the Center on Budget 
& Policy Priorities and senior advisor for Poverty Solutions at the 
University of Michigan. From 2019-2021, he served as the Director of 
the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services where he helped 
lead the state's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, oversaw the state's 
Medicaid and aging programs and led efforts to improve maternal-infant 
health and address the opioid epidemic. He also has significant 
experience serving in several other important senior federal government 
roles including as an acting assistant secretary at the U.S. Department 
of Education and as acting deputy director and executive associate 
director at the Office of Management and Budget.

We are confident that he has the leadership skills and experience 
needed to serve as assistant secretary for financial resources at HHS. 
We look forward to working with him and the rest of the dedicated staff 
at HHS to address the many public health challenges that we face as a 
nation. Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding our 
support for his nomination.

Sincerely,

Georges C. Benjamin, M.D.
Executive Director

                                 ______
                                 
               American Public Human Services Association

                     1300 17th Street N., Suite 340

                          Arlington, VA 22209

                           TEL (202) 682-0100

                           FAX (202) 204-0071

                         https://www.aphsa.org/

February 8, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chair                               Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building  219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo,

The American Public Human Services Association (APHSA) is pleased to 
submit this letter of recommendation on behalf of Rebecca Jones Gaston 
in support of her nomination for Commissioner of the Administration for 
Children, Youth and Families (ACYF).

APHSA is a bipartisan national membership association representing 
state and local health and human services agencies and the subject 
matter experts that help execute their mission to improve outcomes for 
people nationwide. Building on our long-standing relationships with 
health and human services leaders, we focus on generating pragmatic 
solutions that advance the well-being of individuals, families, and 
communities. Through our affinity group, the National Association of 
Public Child Welfare Administrators (NAPCWA), APHSA advances policy and 
practices priorities of child welfare system leaders to construct child 
and family well-being systems.

Ms. Jones Gaston has served as an active member of APHSA and key leader 
of NAPCWA during her tenure as a state child welfare administrator. In 
these roles, Ms. Jones Gaston has been a bold and visionary leader, 
accelerating national dialogues on policy and practice solutions to 
advance prevention frameworks, grounded in equity and lived expertise 
among leaders across the health and human services system.

As a national leader in advancing cross-system solutions that address 
the safety, permanency, and well-being goals for those served by public 
agencies, Ms. Jones Gaston is regarded as a forerunner in leveraging 
federal policy opportunities, like the Family First Prevention Services 
Act, to develop approaches to advance family well-being models that 
prevent child welfare involvement for families experiencing economic 
hardships, housing instability, lack of access to appropriate clinical 
services, or other poverty-related factors. Under her leadership, the 
state of Oregon has launched a significant transformation built on 
trauma-informed, family- and 
community-centered, and culturally responsive programs and services. 
Ms. Jones Gaston is highly respected by her state child welfare 
administrator peers and national research and advocacy alike, as a 
champion for family well-being frameworks that reduce the traumatic 
impacts of the child welfare system on families, with the technical 
skills to make necessary alignments in financing, procurement, and 
state policy.

Equally, Ms. Jones Gaston has the clinical and programmatic backgrounds 
to effectively implement child maltreatment response programs, 
including integration of trauma-informed services for children who do 
experience maltreatment or abuse across human services, law 
enforcement, medical and legal communities. Her experiences overseeing 
reporting and child protection operations, to ensure safety and 
permanency options for all children and youth, with family and 
community strengths-based and equity approaches will bring significant 
value to the HHS/ACF leadership team.

Most importantly, Ms. Jones Gaston brings her authentic voice and 
passion for leading from the ground up. She will ensure that federal 
efforts will be designed with the perspectives of states, community-
based organizations, and those with lived expertise at the forefront. 
Ms. Jones Gaston will bring both her own lived expertise in the child 
welfare system as an adoptee, in addition to her many years of 
professional expertise in creating a system that works for children, 
youth, and families because they have a seat at the policymaking 
tables.

Sincerely,

Tracy Wareing Evans
President and CEO

Sheila Poole
Commissioner, New York State Office of Children and Family Services
Chair, National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators

                                 ______
                                 
         Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence

                    2700 N. Central Ave., Suite 1100

                           Phoenix, AZ 85004

                             (602) 279-2900

                             (800) 782-6400

                           TTY (602) 279-7270

                            [email protected]

February 2, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

I write on behalf of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic 
Violence (ACESDV) to offer strong support for the confirmation of 
January Contreras as Assistant Secretary for the Administration for 
Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services. January Contreras is precisely the long-time advocate and 
leader we need to advance the mission and life-saving services of ACF.

ACESDV is the federally designated coalition in Arizona and is the 
state's center of expertise and education on the issues of sexual and 
domestic violence. ACESDV has provided training and technical 
assistance, provided legislative advocacy, and developed a committed 
network of domestic and sexual violence programs and social service 
providers to strengthen the safety net for people impacted by sexual 
and domestic violence.

January Contreras knows our work well because she was formerly a 
respected member of the ACESDV Board of Directors. In addition, our 
community knows her work well defending the safety and legal rights of 
victims and survivors through the legal aid center she founded, Arizona 
Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS). Prior to this work, January 
also delivered meaningful change at the federal level when she led an 
initiative at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that resulted in 
new training and strengthened protections for immigrant victims of 
crime, with a particular focus on battered immigrant women. Her history 
of supporting survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and 
sexual assault will make her an especially effective Assistant 
Secretary at ACF because she knows what families and individuals face 
when violence enters their lives.

As a coalition, we understand that people who are experiencing violence 
are often subjected to multiple forms of oppression and face multiple 
barriers and challenges in achieving safety in their lives. This 
reality is precisely why a leader such as January Contreras is the 
right person to lead ACF. January's work representing survivors of 
violence has led her to understand the intersection between domestic 
violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and the many challenges 
that increase vulnerability such as poverty, housing instability, lack 
of child care, and language barriers.

January's leadership and work has made a difference here in Arizona. We 
wholeheartedly support her confirmation to serve as the Assistant 
Secretary for the Administration for Children and Families so that she 
can do the same for the many people in our nation seeking to live 
violence-free lives.

Sincerely,

Jenna Panas, CEO
Chief Executive Officer
(817) 939-1577
[email protected]

                                 ______
                                 
                   Arrow Child and Family Ministries

                        1605 Cromwell Bridge Rd.

                          Baltimore, MD 21234

                              410-882-9133

                            410-663-7092 fax

                         https://www.arrow.org/

February 11, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

I am writing in support of Rebecca Jones Gaston's confirmation as ACYF 
Commissioner. I am the Vice President of Maryland Operations for Arrow 
Child & Family Ministries. We are a human services organization in 
Texas and Maryland providing foster care (including treatment foster 
care), residential intervention, community based programs, and special 
education service: to over 1500 children and families across our 
programs. I worked closely with Ms. Jones Gasto in her role as 
Executive Director of the Social Services Administration for the 
Department of Human Services of Maryland. Ms. Jones Gaston made 
impactful changes for child welfare in Maryland. During her tenure, the 
FFPSA legislation passed. Ms. Jones Gaston immediately engaged various 
groups of stakeholders to position Maryland for early adoption of the 
requirements, as they aligned with work already underway for our State. 
She understands the importance of youth and family voice being 
prevalent in conversations regarding the creation and provision of 
services. She actively created opportunities for private providers, 
State agencies, community members, and court representatives to gather 
with youth and families to work on changes and improvements for child 
welfare with a greater lens on the intersection of services that impact 
families. I greatly appreciated and admired Ms. Jones Gaston's 
inclusive efforts paired with her high standards for everyone involved 
in serving children and families.

It is my humble opinion that Ms. Jones Gaston is an exemplary candidate 
to serve as Commissioner for ACYF. Under her leadership, we experienced 
a time of progress and improvement in services for children. To know 
that we have an opportunity to expand her impact across our nation 
brings me a tremendous sense of hope for our children and their 
families.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Renault

                                 ______
                                 
                Brown University School of Public Health

                              Box G-S121-3

                          Providence, RI 02912

                              401-863-3375

                          [email protected]

October 4, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden, Chairman
The Honorable Mike Crapo, Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510-6200

Dear Senators Wyden and Crapo,

I am delighted to write in support of Robert Gordon's nomination to be 
Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources at the Department of Health 
& Human Services. I have become very familiar with Robert's work and 
qualifications during my time as Dean of the Brown University School of 
Public Health.

I met Robert for the first time in a September 2019 session in Detroit 
on the social determinants of health. He turned the discussion towards 
the challenges facing government policymakers as they seek to 
incorporate evidence into their decision-
making. While Robert knew a lot about the research on health, he also 
spoke concretely about putting evidence into action--improving the 
collection and use of data, building programs that reward effective 
investments, and creating partnerships among government, community 
organizations, and universities. He spoke to these approaches in 
detail, from a broad range of experiences: federal and state 
government; nonprofit organizations and philanthropies; policy, 
operations, and finance; and health care, human services, and 
education.

As the pandemic got underway, Robert and I began to speak regularly, at 
a time when I was advising Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, along 
with leaders of other states, on their response to the pandemic. During 
this moment of crisis, I again found him deeply interested in 
understanding the evolving evidence about the pandemic, how it spreads, 
and how government action could respond. He understood the need not 
only to address best practice in theory, but also to tackle best 
practice in the complicated real world. He understood the shortcomings 
of the data we had and the need to both make decisions with limited 
data but also to begin to build the data infrastructure to help guide 
future decisions.

We spoke about crafting public health orders that would have the 
greatest possible impact on saving lives with the minimal possible 
invasion of individual freedom. What was clear to me in these 
conversations was that he understood that his job was to protect the 
health of all Michiganders and to do it in a way that was respectful of 
their beliefs and preferences. I believe that Michigan's actions in the 
Fall of 2020 did, in fact, save many lives, and they became a model for 
other states.

Robert is a model pubic servant--humble, focused on the work and the 
people he serves. While at times the pandemic shined a light on all 
health leaders, Robert was always clear to me that he does his best 
work outside of that light. He is someone who believes deeply that 
while we can disagree on the size and role of government, all Americans 
agree that the government needs to function effectively. And he is 
committed to that.

It is without hesitation that I support Robert's nomination, and I am 
happy to answer any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Ashish K. Jha, M.D., MPH
Dean

                                 ______
                                 
                    Center for Law and Social Policy

                       1310 L St., NW, Suite 900

                          Washington, DC 20005

                             (202) 906-8000

                         https://www.clasp.org/

November 30, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

I am writing on behalf of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) 
to express strong support for the confirmation of Robert Gordon as 
Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources at the U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services. As an organization that advocates for people 
with low incomes at the national and state levels, CLASP has had the 
opportunity to work closely with Robert during his service in Michigan 
and, prior to that, at the Office of Management and Budget during the 
Obama administration. He brings a unique combination of deep 
programmatic experience, demonstrated effectiveness at delivering 
results, commitment to core principles of public service and to the 
individuals and families who benefit from HHS programs, and in-depth 
knowledge of public sector finance and budgets.

During Robert's 2 years as Director of the Michigan Department of 
Health and Human Services, he led several important reforms in the 
delivery of core public benefits to Michigan residents with low 
incomes. Among the examples that best illustrate his effectiveness, 
focus on results, and ability to keep people and their needs front and 
center as he leads a large organization:

      Michigan was a national leader in the implementation of Pandemic 
EBT (P-EBT), an opportunity offered by the US Department of Agriculture 
during the pandemic for states to reach children with nutrition 
assistance when they were missing meals at school or in child care 
settings. Michigan was the first state to receive approval to issue P-
EBT benefits to nearly a million children, just weeks after the federal 
legislation was passed, and provided a model to others in figuring out 
how to implement this program.

      Robert led an effort within Michigan to identify opportunities 
to reduce bureaucracy and red tape in order to get help to families and 
individuals. One major success of this effort was the streamlining of 
the application and renewal forms, saving both caseworkers and 
participants time, and reducing churning. Another was Michigan's 
adoption of a policy allowing post-secondary students with low incomes 
who are enrolled in career-focused programs to receive nutrition 
assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 
(SNAP). When the Trump Administration finalized their public charge 
regulation, which created a huge chilling effect, discouraging 
immigrants and their families from accessing public, Robert made sure 
that Michigan DHHS was proactively sharing accurate information to 
ensure that people were not being unnecessarily discouraged from 
receiving critical benefits.

      Under his leadership, Michigan DHHS introduced an Equity Impact 
Assessment tool to ensure that decisions are made with awareness of 
their impacts on marginalized people of color and with the goal of 
reducing disparities.

Robert's record of accomplishment during the Obama administration 
reflected the same qualities of creativity, consistent commitment to 
placing families and individuals at the center of his work, and deep 
understanding of public sector programs and budgets. He helped to 
launch several important initiatives to help children get a good start 
in life, including the Maternal Infant and Early Childhood Home 
Visiting program and investments in preschool which are an important 
forerunner to the large expansions under consideration today.

At this time of a pandemic and recession that have had tragic 
consequences for so many families' and individuals' health and economic 
security, and at a time when HHS is central to mounting a vigorous 
public response across many dimensions, the position of Assistant 
Secretary for Financial Resources is crucial. Robert will bring to this 
role far more than deep knowledge of public sector budgeting and 
financial management, though he has that. He will also bring personal 
experience on the front lines of state service delivery, a record of 
demonstrated accomplishment at both federal and state levels, a core 
commitment to public service and to families, and deep programmatic as 
well as fiscal knowledge. All of those will serve the Department and 
the United States well at this crucial moment.

We look forward to the Senate's prompt confirmation of Robert Gordon as 
Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources and would be delighted to 
provide any additional information that might be helpful.

Sincerely,

Olivia A. Golden
Executive Director

                                 ______
                                 
                    Center for Security in Politics

February 2, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:


It has come to my attention that President Biden has nominated Ms. 
January Contreras as Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children 
and Families at the United States Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS). I write to offer my unqualified support of Ms. 
Contreras as you consider her confirmation.

I have known and worked with January for twenty years and believe her 
to be a person of the highest level of integrity, moral character and 
professional competence. January was a prosecutor in my office when I 
served as Arizona Attorney General. January went on to make 
extraordinary contributions as my health policy advisor and a member of 
my cabinet as the Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services 
when I served as Governor of Arizona. January also worked with me in 
the Obama Administration at the United States Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) as a Senior Advisor during the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and 
subsequently as the leader of the Office of the Ombudsman for 
Citizenship and Immigration Services. In each of these roles, she 
consistently demonstrated a commitment to collaboration, transparency 
and accountability. Since that time, she and I have kept in close touch 
and I have watched her post government career as she has continued to 
support women, children and families through her work with her not-for-
profit and her service in multiple leadership roles in Arizona.

January is a seasoned government and nonprofit executive who will lead 
the Administration for Children and Families with discipline, focus and 
vision. She understands how the government works and should work, she 
embraces its service requirements and knows how to deliver effectively 
and efficiently on a critical mission for the people most impacted. 
Children and families will be well served with January as Assistant 
Secretary. I recommend her without reservation and would be pleased to 
provide further information should it be required.

Very truly yours,

Janet Napolitano
Professor, Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, 
Berkeley
President Emerita, University of California
Former Secretary of Homeland Security

                                 ______
                                 
                       Children's Action Alliance

                   3030 North Third Street, Suite 760

                           Phoenix, AZ 85012

                5049 East Broadway Boulevard, Suite 158

                            Tucson, AZ 85711

                        https://azchildren.org/

                           [email protected]

                              602-266-0707

February 3, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building  219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

It is with great enthusiasm that I provide this letter of 
recommendation in support of the confirmation of January Contreras to 
be Assistant Secretary for Children and Families, Department of Health 
and Human Services. I have known January for almost two decades as an 
attorney, advocate, and community leader in Arizona. Through her work 
and tireless advocacy, she has deservedly earned the reputation as one 
of our state's strongest, most respected leaders on behalf of children 
and families. I currently have the honor to lead a nonprofit, 
nonpartisan organization that is one of Arizona's longest standing and 
most prominent voices for children and families at both our State 
Capitol and at the federal level. For many years, January has been 
someone our organization has consistently partnered with to help 
vulnerable youth.

We have worked with her through the legal services nonprofit 
organization she founded, Arizona Legal Women and Youth Services 
(ALWAYS), where she served as the Executive Director and personally 
represented victims of domestic violence, human trafficking, and 
children and young adults experiencing homelessness, foster care, and 
family separation. We have also worked with her through the many task 
forces, coalitions, and advisory boards she has served on. One of those 
was her service on the community advisory board for the Fostering 
Advocates Arizona (FAAZ) Young Adult Leadership Board, a committee we 
facilitate that is centered in the lived expertise of young people who 
have experienced foster care.

January and her organization, ALWAYS, worked with several FAAZ members 
and other transitioning youth to help stabilize their finances when 
they had been exploited by someone close to them; to help them obtain 
restraining orders when they were victims of domestic violence; and to 
assist them in getting medical coverage through our state's Medicaid 
program. In other instances, we have worked with January in our efforts 
to expand children's access to health care and child care and to 
increase the availability of affordable housing.

I also had the opportunity to work with January from about 2005 to 2010 
when I served in the Arizona legislature and she served as Senior 
Health Advisor to then-Governor Janet Napolitano and later as the 
Acting Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services. In those 
capacities, January demonstrated herself to be someone who could work 
with elected officials on both sides of the political aisle and to be 
an effective communicator and problem-solver.

I can say with great confidence that January is a person with integrity 
and strong character who has demonstrated throughout her career a 
commitment to public service and is someone who cares deeply about the 
people she serves. I am thrilled to see her have the opportunity to 
bring her leadership and experience in improving the lives of children 
and families to the current administration.

Sincerely,

David Lujan
President and CEO

                                 ______
                                 
                             College Board

                            250 Vesey Street

                           New York, NY 10281

                     https://www.collegeboard.org/

October 20, 2021

Senators Wyden and Crapo,

Robert Gordon is one of the most conscientious, talented, and effective 
leaders I've ever worked with. I recommend him wholeheartedly for the 
role of Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources at the United 
States Department of Health and Human Services, where he'll be an 
outstanding administrator, a trusted colleague, and a model public 
servant.

I had the privilege of working with Robert most closely during his time 
as Senior Vice President of Global Strategy and Finance at the College 
Board, where he served from 2015 to 2019. He not only demonstrated the 
impeccable judgment and financial acumen required to oversee a large 
annual nonprofit budget and its assets, but also brought discipline and 
mission-driven focus to every aspect of our work. He was creative and 
diligent about identifying opportunities for savings and improved 
efficiency to drive greater investment in our core mission, including 
his successful effort to introduce a stronger procurement process and 
budgetary oversight. He also oversaw College Board's accounting 
division, consistently producing clean audits and commanding the 
complete trust of our audit committee, external auditors and 
colleagues. Robert's finance expertise is complemented by a deft sense 
of diplomacy in working with a wide range of partners and constituents, 
and he was widely sought for his advice and expertise by colleagues 
across the organization, from front-line staff to our Board of 
Trustees. He welcomed all of those inquiries with perfect grace and 
attentiveness.

Robert's impact on the College Board extends far beyond his impeccable 
financial insight. He quickly became a trusted voice on operational 
improvement and process modernization, driving a major overhaul of 
technology systems and a migration to an Agile workflow. His ability to 
manage complex projects involving a wide variety of stakeholders was 
invaluable in streamlining the College Board's work and strengthening 
our capacity to serve students. He always kept our mission front-and- 
center in his own work and in the minds of his colleagues. His impact 
on our operations and our culture continues to pay dividends for the 
people we serve. The College Board's ability to adapt and thrive 
through the acute challenges of the pandemic, serving our members 
through one of the toughest periods in the modern history of education, 
owes much to Robert's dedicated pursuit of operational excellence and 
financial resilience.

The College Board is a large and diverse organization, and Robert was 
always intentional about consulting different voices before making 
major decisions. His ability to win respect and incorporate the views 
of his colleagues made him a favorite among College Board leadership, 
widely admired for his integrity and sense of responsibility to his 
colleagues. Simply put, people trusted that Robert's decisions were 
well-considered, fair, and always in service to our core mission.

Robert seeks out positions not for their rewards, but for their 
challenges. Before coming to the College Board, he developed deep 
expertise in budgeting and policy during his time at the New York City 
Department of Education, at the Center for American Progress, and in 
four years of dedicated service to the Office of Management and Budget. 
In every one of those roles, he has led by example. Robert is frugal, 
hardworking, and an eager listener.

It's no exaggeration to say that Robert Gordon is one of the finest 
minds I've ever known, and I will be proud as both a friend and a 
citizen to see him take on the crucial responsibility of managing and 
strengthening the financial resources of the Department of Health and 
Human Services. He is a credit to his country and his profession, and I 
hope you'll grant him the opportunity to serve.

I would welcome the chance to answer any questions you might have, and 
I appreciate your time and care in your own work on behalf of the 
American people.

Respectfully,

David Coleman
CEO
[email protected]

                                 ______
                                 
                  Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption

                       4900 Tuttle Crossing Blvd.

                            Dublin, OH 43016

                             1-800-ASK-DTFA

                 https://www.davethomasfoundation.org/

February 8, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building  219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

I am honored and delighted to provide this letter of support for the 
confirmation of Ms. Rebecca Jones Gaston as Commissioner for the 
Administration on Children, Youth and Families. I can think of no more 
qualified candidate for this critical leadership role serving our 
nation's most vulnerable children and families.

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national non-profit public 
charity dedicated exclusively to moving North America's children 
waiting in foster care to be adopted into safe, nurturing and permanent 
homes. We do this through the implementation of evidence-based 
programs, research, education and advocacy. For example, our Wendy's 
Wonderful Kids program, an evidence-based child-focused recruitment 
model serving children at risk of aging out of care, is now being 
funded through extensive public/private partnerships and taken to scale 
across the United States. It has resulted in more than 11,000 permanent 
placements of older youth, sibling groups, children with emotional and 
physical challenges and youth previously opposed to the notion of 
family and adoption across all 50 states and D.C.

It is through this program that I met Ms. Jones Gaston nearly 20 years 
ago when she served as the National Campaign Director of the 
AdoptUSKids initiative. Similarly, we engaged and collaborated during 
her role in the state of Maryland and now as we work toward a cost- and 
life-saving public/private partnership to scale Wendy's Wonderful Kids 
in the state of Oregon.

In each role and throughout two decades, I have been both impressed and 
energized by her commitment to collaboration; her deep understanding of 
the complex federal and state child welfare policies, funding and 
practices; her focused strategic vision and her willingness to 
aggressively address systemic barriers that continue to plague 
prevention efforts to keep children out of foster care and the 
obstacles that too often contribute to many lingering in or aging out 
of care without the birthright of every child--a family and a home.

Significantly, Ms. Jones Gaston brings a deep and personal 
understanding of the child welfare system dynamics though her lived 
experience as an adoptee and her resulting sensitivity to and respect 
for the voices of children and families currently at-risk of entering 
the system or now in care.

Ms. Jones Gaston is precisely the leader that the Administration on 
Children, Youth and Families requires, particularly now as the dynamics 
of child abuse prevention, racial equity and social justice for 
children and families converge in federal initiatives, policy and 
practice. She understands the urgency and I am certain will respond in 
a way that is transformative, inclusive and visionary--all qualities 
that our children and families deserve and that we all should demand.

Thank you for this opportunity to provide a letter of support. If there 
is any further information that I can provide, know that your call is 
always welcome.

With Respect,

Rita L. Soronen
President and CEO
(614) 595-1564

                                 ______
                                 
                            FosterClub, Inc.

                         620 South Holladay #1

                           Seaside, OR 97138

                            PH: 503-717-1552

                           FAX: 503-717-1702

                          WEB: fosterclub.org

                            EIN: 93-1287234

                               CFC: 76187

February 8, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building  219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510                 Washington DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden, Ranking Member Crapo, and Members of the Senate 
Committee on Finance,

FosterClub would like to express our strong support of Rebecca Jones 
Gaston, nominee for the Federal Commissioner for the Administration for 
Children, Youth and Families, Department of Health and Human Services. 
Ms. Jones Gaston is an impressive leader who is highly qualified for 
the position. We urge the Committee to confirm Ms. Jones Gaston 
swiftly.

FosterClub is the national network for young people who experience 
foster care. In partnership with Lived Experience Leaders (young people 
who have lived in foster care), FosterClub drives change in the child 
welfare system and provides direct support to children and youth who 
experience the foster care system.

FosterClub's collaboration with Rebecca Jones Gaston began during her 
tenure at Casey Family Programs, a long-time funder and partner of 
FosterClub's work. Through this partnership, a transformation has taken 
place to engage people with lived experience in efforts to reform the 
child welfare system; today, lived experience is helping to transform 
public policy, improve best practices, and deliver services to 
children, youth, and families.

Ms. Jones Gaston brings her own lived experience as an adoptee into her 
work. Along with her own experience, Ms. Jones Gaston prioritizes the 
engagement of individuals with lived experience in child welfare into 
the transformation of the current child welfare system.

FosterClub supported Lived Experience Leaders who provided critical 
insight to Members of Congress on their experiences in foster care and 
the need for significant change within the system, leading to the 
Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018. Under Ms. Jones Gaston's 
leadership, we are confident lived experience voices will continue to 
play a central role in implementation of FFPSA and other critical 
policies at the federal level.

Child welfare provides a critical safety net for many young people. 
FosterClub believes improvements to the foster care system are 
strengthened when young people who have been disproportionately 
impacted, notably Black, Indigenous, and the LGBTQ+ and Two-Spirit 
community, are centered in that improvement. Ms. Jones Gaston's focus 
on equity and inclusion and commitment to lived experience voices will 
ensure young people who do enter foster care receive the best care 
possible while in foster care, and the support to reunify with their 
families, connect with relatives and when neither are possible, find 
family through adoption.

Ms. Jones Gaston has a track record of success in child welfare that is 
inclusive of partnership with lived experience voices. We need strong 
leadership who listen to and value the voices of young people who have 
firsthand experience in foster care. By partnering with young people, 
we can all work towards a future where every young person has what they 
need to thrive.

Our team at FosterClub urges a speedy confirmation of Rebecca Jones 
Gaston.

Sincerely,

Celeste Bodner
Executive Director

                                 ______
                                 
            Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
October 9, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chair
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
239 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

I am writing with my full support for the nomination of Robert Gordon 
to be the Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources in the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services. I am Professor of the Practice 
in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School 
of Public Health. My recommendation is based on my experiences serving 
with Mr. Gordon in the Obama Administration, as well as my observations 
of his leadership during the pandemic.

I had the privilege of serving as the Principal Deputy Commissioner of 
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from March 2009 to January 2011. 
During this period, I interacted with Mr. Gordon in his role at OMB. I 
found him to be thoughtful and inquisitive about a wide range of agency 
issues, asking important questions while respecting the expertise of 
senior agency officials. He had a reputation then, as now, as a doer 
and not a talker--someone who worked by the book to move important 
efforts forward.

We reconnected as he took a senior position in Michigan state 
government. I was impressed as he assembled a terrific management team 
and tackled some complicated and longstanding issues facing the state, 
including lead poisoning and Medicaid reform. He pursued innovative 
projects to expand access to health care while controlling costs.

Then came the pandemic--an enormous challenge for all health officials. 
Robert worked with his team to lead one of the most effective responses 
in 2020, using available evidence to guide the state's approach. He was 
very focused on successfully implementing key policies.

Robert's strengths will serve him well as Assistant Secretary. I am 
sure he will be laser focused on implementation effectiveness and 
efficiency, recognizing the potential for innovative approaches to 
achieve more for the American people at less cost. He cares deeply 
about getting his job done the right way. For these reasons, I am 
enthusiastic about his nomination, and I would urge the Senate to 
confirm him for this position promptly.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Joshua M. Sharfstein, M.D.
Professor of the Practice in Health Policy and Management
Vice Dean for Public Health Practice and Community Engagement

                                 ______
                                 
                   Michigan Elder Justice Initiative

                       15851 S. U.S. 27, Suite 73

                           Lansing, MI 48906

                          Phone: 517-827-8023

                           Fax: 517-574-5301

October 6, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Re:  Nomination of Robert Gordon to serve as an Assistant Secretary of 
Health and Human Services

Dear Senators Wyden and Crapo:

I am the Director and Managing Attorney of the Michigan Elder Justice 
Initiative, a legal services and ombudsman program that advocates for 
low income older adults and people with disabilities. Because I have 
had the opportunity to observe Robert Gordon's extraordinary leadership 
skills, passionate commitment to improving the health and well-being of 
vulnerable individuals, and unquestionable integrity, I write in 
enthusiastic support of his nomination to serve as the Assistant 
Secretary for Financial Resources in the U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services.

I first became familiar with Mr. Gordon when he was appointed to serve 
as the Director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services 
(MDHHS) in 2019. Within weeks of beginning his demanding new job, Mr. 
Gordon tackled one of the Department's biggest challenges: thousands of 
applicants, including my clients, faced months long delays before their 
paperwork could be processed and they could obtain the critical 
benefits they needed. Mr. Gordon was entirely transparent about the 
Department's failings, made a commitment to do better, and tracked 
progress toward eliminating the backlog on a public website. He met 
with managers, caseworkers, and clients and talked to legislators, 
union representatives and national experts. As a result of these 
efforts, communities across the state met the state's target for the 
timely processing of applications about 95% of the time throughout his 
tenure, even though caseloads surged during the pandemic. No prior 
state official in my experience had ever personally engaged in such a 
comprehensive, thoughtful, focused, public and determined effort to 
acknowledge and correct a problem that imperiled the health and quality 
of life of beneficiaries across the state.

Once beneficiaries became eligible for benefits, Mr. Gordon wanted to 
be sure they were able to retain them. By introducing a simplified and 
straightforward renewal application, MDHHS achieved astonishing results 
with 15% more families retaining benefits and 50% fewer beneficiaries 
coming into the office with questions about the process.

In short order, Mr. Gordon introduced numerous other bold, sensible 
polices that lightened the burdens on beneficiaries and caseworkers 
alike. One change allowed caseworkers to accept residents' own 
statements about their housing and utility expenses, instead of 
requiring them to produce burdensome paperwork. Another innovation 
enabled older adults and people with disabilities to use a standard 
medical deduction instead of submitting proof of expenses. A third 
initiative shortened the waiting period for cash assistance. MDHHS also 
extended eligibility for food assistance to many low-income college 
students and enabled pregnant mothers to apply for nutrition benefits 
online along with other programs.

When the state was engulfed by COVID, Mr. Gordon worked relentlessly to 
adjust policies to better protect residents, make the most informed and 
thoughtful decisions possible, and retain his unwavering focus on the 
well-being of Michiganders. His earnestness, dedication, and profound 
concern for those who were suffering were palpable. Mr. Gordon also 
recognized the hardships MDHHS's approximately 14,000 employees endured 
during this period and scheduled frequent virtual town hall meetings to 
offer thanks and support to them. One MDHSS staff member described 
those events to me: ``[Mr. Gordon] was incredibly sincere when talking 
about our COVID work and expressing concern for employees' well-being. 
You could see how pained he was by the deaths of so many people, and 
how proud he was of employees working long hours and having an impact. 
He came across as an incredible person. I thought he was unlike any 
director we've ever had.''

Even in this enormously difficult and exhausting time, Mr. Gordon 
sought to be transparent, innovative, and effective. Michigan was the 
first state to deliver federal pandemic food benefits to children, 
supporting about 800,000 Michigan kids in a time of desperate need. 
MDHHS permitted online grocery purchasing, changes to Medicaid enabled 
residents to get meals and health care at home, and healthcare workers 
got a raise they needed and deserved.

While there are many other achievements I could share, my favorite 
experience with Mr. Gordon was early in his tenure at MDHHS when my 
colleague, Salli Pung, the State Long Term Care Ombudsman, and I spent 
a day touring nursing homes with him. Mr. Gordon had not yet had much 
experience with long term care and eagerly accepted our invitation to 
visit both poor quality and high quality facilities. Throughout the 
day, Mr. Gordon showered us with questions and his lively, curious, 
perceptive mind was on full display. While his colleagues who 
accompanied us hung behind, Mr. Gordon charged off to talk directly to 
resident, genuinely curious about their experiences and how Medicaid 
could improve their lives. Although he never identified himself as the 
Director of the Department, he came away with precious insights from 
beneficiaries about how policies don't always translate into practical 
realities and how Medicaid could more effectively use the power of its 
purse.

Mr. Gordon is a rare public servant. He combines true brilliance and 
fundamental decency, lofty accomplishments and deep humility. While he 
has a disciplined commitment to evidence-based, systemic solutions, he 
never loses sight of the struggles and realities of the individuals 
those systems are designed to serve. If he is confirmed, I am confident 
all of these qualities will serve him and the Americans who depend on 
HHS extraordinarily well.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my experience with Mr. 
Gordon. If I can be of any further assistance, I would be glad to do 
so. Sincerely,

Alison Hirschel
Director and Managing Attorney
[email protected]

                                 ______
                                 
             Michigan Federation for Children and Families

                    620 S. Capitol Avenue, Suite 325

                           Lansing, MI 48933

                          Phone (517) 485-8552

                           Fax (517) 485-6680

                            www.michfed.org

October 20, 2021

Senator Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
Washington, DC

Senator Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
Washington, DC

Dear Senator Wyden and Senator Crapo, and members of the United States 
Senate Committee on Finance,

It is my pleasure to strongly recommend Robert Gordon for the position 
of Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources at the U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services.

I am Janet Reynolds Snyder, executive director of the Michigan 
Federation for Children and Families (the Federation), and immediate 
past president for the National Association of State Associations for 
Children.

The Federation is a statewide nonprofit association whose 55 member 
agencies, all private nonprofit community-based organizations, contract 
with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to 
provide supportive services to children and their families throughout 
Michigan's 83 counties. For over 50 years, the Federation has provided 
a collective and expert voice on behalf of its members in working 
alongside state departments and legislative leaders, with shared 
responsibility, to continuously partner with Michigan communities so 
families can lead lives of greater health and opportunity.

As Director of the MDHHS, Mr. Gordon oversaw many large state programs 
including, but not limited to, Children's Services, Children's 
Protective Services, Medicaid, Food Assistance, Senior Services, and 
more, plus Michigan's response to COVID-19. At the time Mr. Gordon 
accepted the role of MDHHS Director, Michigan entered its 12th year of 
federal court oversight of our state's child welfare system as a result 
of a class action lawsuit (Dwayne B. v. Snyder). In addressing the 
lawsuit settlement requirements, Mr. Gordon acted swiftly to engage 
with providers and other stakeholders to take action, increasing the 
level of safety of children in our care and in doing so earned praise 
from The Honorable Nancy G. Edmunds of Michigan's Eastern District of 
the United States District Court, for the progress that was made.

Without question, Mr. Gordon's professional expertise is beyond 
comparison, demonstrated by his strong leadership and ability to engage 
and partner with colleagues and with families and communities 
throughout the United States.

In my role at the Federation, one of my first experiences with Mr. 
Gordon was shortly after he was appointed MDHHS Director when he 
reached out to introduce himself to me and ask about the priorities of 
Federation member organizations. Mr. Gordon then offered to meet with 
our agency executives to discuss child welfare priorities and 
initiatives. This meeting took place shortly thereafter and generated a 
robust dialogue regarding ways to achieve our shared goals for families 
in Michigan.

Mr. Gordon's interest in authentic engagement with youth and 
communities was highlighted during a visit at one of Michigan's 
residential treatment centers for youth. Mr. Gordon was interested in 
understanding more about residential treatment services available for 
youth and the centers where services are provided. He arranged to visit 
youth at one of our member agencies, Highfields in Onondaga, MI. During 
an afternoon, he joined them at meals, sat and listened, and truly 
engaged in meaningful ways with the youth and staff at Highfields. 
Taking time to connect shows a great deal about the interest Mr. Gordon 
has in others and, specifically, his commitment to successful outcomes 
for youth and their families.

Through his actions, Mr. Gordon earned respect from private, nonprofit, 
child and family serving organizations throughout the state. He is 
known as a leader with high ethics and standards, one who shows respect 
for others, and leads by demonstrating his deep commitment for 
successful outcomes for children and families. Mr. Gordon is a person 
of great integrity and would approach the position of Assistant 
Secretary for Financial Resources at the Department of Health and Human 
Services with expert knowledge, honesty, and strong moral principles, 
adding great value to President Biden's vision.

Understanding that a letter of recommendation is a snapshot of talents 
and achievements, I would be happy to further elaborate on my time 
working with Mr. Gordon. If you would like additional information or 
other specific examples, please feel free to contact me at 734.476.3845 
or [email protected].

Thank you and with warm regards,

Sincerely,

Janet Reynolds Snyder, MBA
Executive Director

                                 ______
                                 
         Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate

October 5, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
239 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

We write in support of Robert Gordon's nomination to the position of 
Assistant Secretary for Financial Resources at the United States 
Department of Health and Human Services.

We came to know Mr. Gordon during his tenure as Director of the 
Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). MDHHS is our 
state's largest department, and leading it is an unusually challenging 
job even under ordinary circumstances. Mr. Gordon's time leading MDHHS 
intersected largely with the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing him to take on 
unprecedented challenges and responsibilities.

Mr. Gordon demonstrated a high degree of acumen in handling complex 
policies and operations, a strong commitment to serving the state's 
most vulnerable residents, and modesty in recognizing that he was new 
to Michigan and had much to learn about our state. He demonstrated his 
strong leadership skills and expertise every day while responding to 
the pandemic, improving state services, and addressing the needs of 
individuals with behavioral health challenges and children in foster 
care. Despite his tremendous workload, he was always responsive with 
the Legislature, appearing regularly at meetings and candidly answering 
questions.

We all feel he showed a high degree of skill, integrity, and leadership 
under the most difficult circumstances. He is a dedicated and able 
public servant, and it is with our highest recommendation that we 
support his nomination.

Please contact our offices should you have any questions regarding our 
recommendation of Mr. Gordon.

Sincerely,

Julie Brixie                        David LaGrand
State Representative                State Representative
69th District                       75th District

Donna Lasinski                      Jeremy Moss
House Minority Leader               State Senator
52nd District                       11th District

Yousef Rabhi                        Jeff Irwin
Minority Floor Leader               State Senator
53rd District                       18th District

Abdullah Hammoud                    Adam Hollier
State Representative                State Senator
15th District                       2nd District

Matt Koleszar
State Representative
20th District
                    National Head Start Association
October 12, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building  219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo,

The National Head Start Association (NHSA) is pleased to recommend Dr. 
Robert Gordon for the position of Assistant Secretary for Financial 
Resources of the Department of Health and Human Services. Of the many 
accomplished experts with whom NHSA has been fortunate to collaborate 
with over the past several decades, Dr. Gordon possesses a unique 
understanding of administering early childhood education and care 
programs as a critical part of the economy and how, if well supported, 
it can transform the lives of individuals and communities.

As you know, we are facing an extraordinary opportunity to rethink how 
we prepare our nation's youngest learners and their families for the 
future. As the Head Start workforce across the country prepares to 
implement this vision, strong leadership is critical. Dr. Gordon brings 
a wealth of insight on how to meet ever-changing community needs and 
how to build doorways to opportunity for all people. And his focus on 
the importance of early childhood education deserves particular focus, 
because he knows the effects are so long lasting.

Hailing from a family of economists who have all built their careers 
around how to bring real, practical benefits for society, Dr. Gordon 
has dedicated his career and life's work to ensuring Americans meet 
their potential. For him, it all comes back to improving people's lives 
through equity and, without a doubt, he has the knowledge, experience, 
and wisdom to realize this vision for our country's future. On behalf 
of the Head Start community nationwide, NHSA respectfully urges his 
consideration.

Sincerely,

Yasmina Vinci
Executive Director

                                 ______
                                 
                       National Network for Youth
February 7, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

On behalf of the National Network for Youth, I write to urge you to 
swiftly confirm January Contreras as the Assistant Secretary at the 
Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department 
of Health and Human Services (HHS). Ms. Contreras has proven 
qualifications and expertise, as well as a passion for ensuring 
America's children, youth, and families are safe, resilient, healthy, 
and economically secure.

The National Network for Youth (NN4Y) is the nation's leading network 
of youth and young adult homelessness providers. NN4Y envisions a world 
where every young person has a safe place to call home, with multiple 
opportunities to achieve their fullest potential. Together with our 
partners, NN4Y transforms systems through centering youth, training and 
technical assistance, policy advocacy, and public education.

NN4Y is enthusiastic about the diversity of expertise Ms. Contreras has 
in her over 20 years of experience devoted to women, children, and 
families. She served as a public interest attorney and advocate for 
many years in Arizona. She also worked tirelessly to support the well-
being of children as a member of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano's 
Children's Cabinet and the Arizona Early Childhood Development and 
Health Board. When she joined the Obama Administration in 2009, she 
continued to make a difference as a designee to the White House Council 
on Women and Girls and through her work to enhance protections for 
immigrant victims of crime at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

It is through January's next role that Ms. Contreras first interacted 
with NN4Y. When Ms. Contreras returned to Arizona in 2013, she 
exhibited her passion for youth and families by establishing Arizona 
Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS). ALWAYS provides legal counsel 
and representation for young people facing physical violence, sexual 
assault and exploitation, homelessness, immigration challenges, or 
family separation. ALWAYS provides no-cost legal services for current 
and former foster youth, youth who are homeless or have run away, and 
unaccompanied minors who have crossed the Southern border. Through this 
work, Ms. Contreras has been part of the solution to the barriers that 
young people experiencing homelessness face. We met in 2015 when she 
reached out to learn more about NN4Y's advocacy and to share some of 
the experiences she'd observed through ALWAYS. Ms. Contreras's 
collaborative approach and broad expertise are vital as the Director of 
ACF, which administers a plethora of programs impacting children, 
youth, and families.

Now more than ever, children, youth, and families in vulnerable 
situations need our attention. The coronavirus outbreak has created 
even more challenges as they work to achieve safety, stability, and 
achieve upward economic mobility. Ms. Contreras would bring an 
exceptional understanding of these challenges because she has been 
working alongside youth. Ms. Contreras has delivered legal services 
directly to youth who experience homelessness under ACF sex trafficking 
and street outreach grants, she has presented at ACF's Runaway and 
Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center Conference on 
legal aid partnerships, and the organization she founded has been 
highlighted as a model program by the American Bar Association's 
Homeless Youth Legal Network. Each of these experiences are valuable to 
understanding how the position which she is nominated for relates to 
ACF colleagues, grantees, partners, and, most importantly, the impacted 
children, youth and families themselves.

Ms. Contreras's plethora of experiences and accolades, which have not 
all been mentioned, echo her dedication and understanding of children 
and families' hardships. In addition, her vast knowledge of youth 
homelessness, child welfare-involved youth, juvenile court-involved 
youth, immigrant youth, youth who have been trafficked, and women's 
rights all relate to the physical and mental health of families 
nationwide. Her distinctive experience equips her with the proper tools 
ideal for the Assistant Secretary of ACF at HHS.

Sincerely,

Darla Bardine
Executive Director
[email protected]
202-783-7949

                                 ______
                                 
                              New America
October 12, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
Washington, DC 20510                Washington DC 20510

Dear Chairman Ron Wyden and Ranking Member Mike Crapo,

    We are delighted to support Robert Gordon's nomination to be 
assistant secretary for financial resources at the Department of Health 
and Human Services.

    We write as individuals who lead organizations committed to making 
government work better for people. We use data, design, and policy 
tools to speed up, simplify, and improve programs to better deliver 
benefits and services to residents. Our aim is a government that really 
works for the public--one that honors people's dignity, respects their 
time, and uses taxpayers' dollars effectively.

    Robert Gordon is an effective champion for exactly these goals. In 
his time at the Office of Management and Budget, he became known for 
working quietly behind the scenes to better use data in health, human 
services, and education programs--connecting initiatives that often 
worked separately in silos; improving services for the most vulnerable 
residents, and creating incentives for innovation. In Michigan, we 
cheered him on--and in some cases supported him directly--as he worked 
to eliminate excessive documentation requirements for getting access to 
public benefits which imposed heavy burdens on residents, but did 
little to reduce error or fraud. And, in recent months, he has worked 
with many of us to help states effectively invest funds from the 
American Rescue Plan.

    All of us have worked personally with Robert. Some of us have been 
colleagues or collaborators on important projects to make the 
government deliver. We know his talent, his high bar for policy making 
detail and care for evidence and his management style. We are excited 
to see a leader and public servant like Robert join the Department of 
Health and Human Services. On a more personal note we know his 
character, his care for his family, his way of taking care of staff and 
mentoring young people. And we know you will come to see that he is the 
type of person you want leading in government and is someone we can 
trust to look out for the public good.

Thank you for your care and time on this important nomination.

Signed,

Amanda Renteria                     Tara Dawson McGuinness
Code for America                    New Practice Lab, New America

Cecilia Munoz                       Jeffrey Liebman
Senior Advisor, Public Interest 
Technology, New America             Professor of Public Policy, Harvard 
                                    Kennedy School and Director, 
                                    Government Performance Lab

Pauline Abernathy
Benefits Data Trust

                                 ______
                                 
                            Oregon Alliance
February 9, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building  219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

I am writing in support for Rebecca Jones Gaston's confirmation as 
Administration on Children Youth and Families Commissioner.

The Oregon Alliance is a dedicated champion and established voice in 
advocating for the safety, health, and well-being of children, youth, 
families, and communities across Oregon. We are a diverse group of 
organizations serving Oregon's kids and their families at home, in 
school, in residential settings, and within the community. We join with 
dedicated community leaders, our partners in government, allied fields, 
and those we serve to deliver effective policies, best practices, and 
resources. We work to help all kids live better lives and for families 
and communities to thrive in every corner of Oregon.

I have had the opportunity work collaboratively with Ms. Jones Gaston 
as the current the Child Welfare Director for the State of Oregon's 
Department of Human Services since 2019. Under her leadership, Oregon 
has launched a significant Child Welfare Transformation Plan built on 
trauma-informed, family and community-
centered, as well as, culturally responsive programs and services. She 
has formed strategic national and state partnerships with organizations 
that share the same safety, permanency, and well-being goals for those 
served by public agencies. Equity and inclusion are at the center of 
this work, improving the context in which children, youth, parents, and 
families can thrive, thereby making prevention possible. While in 
Oregon, Ms. Jones Gaston began the work to shift the focus of our child 
welfare system from placement to prevention through cross-system 
partnerships and implementing the Family First Prevention Services Act.

Ms. Jones Gaston will bring significant expertise and a real world 
perspective of how our child welfare system can improve for children 
and families. More importantly, she will bring an inclusive, 
collaborative approach to creating solutions where families and 
children are at the center.

In closing, I am more hopeful now with the possibility of Ms. Jones 
Gaston being at the helm of the ACYF. I urge you to support Ms. Jones 
Gaston's nomination as the ACYF Commissioner.

Royce Bowlin
Executive Director

The Oregon Alliance was founded in 1917 to support the lives of 
Oregon's Children. Alliance member organizations provide services and 
supports to over 100,000 children, youth and young adults across Oregon 
annually.


------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Organization                     Main Office Location
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Albertina Kerr                                Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Belloni Ranch                             Coos Bay
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boys and Girls Aid of Oregon                  Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bridge Meadows                                Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bridgeway Recovery Services, Inc.             Salem
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare                Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community Action Partnership of Oregon        Salem
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Connections365                                Salem
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Family Skill Builders                         Clackamas
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Family Solutions                              Medford
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc.        The Dalles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homestead Youth and Family                    Pendleton
------------------------------------------------------------------------
J Bar J                                       Bend
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jackson Street Youth Services                 Corvallis
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Janus Youth Programs, Inc.                    Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jasper Mountain                               Jasper
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kairos Northwest                              Grants Pass
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking Glass Community Services              Eugene
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Madrona Recovery                              Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maple Star Oregon, Inc.                       Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maslow Project                                Medford
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action        Salem
 Agency
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morrison Child and Family Services            Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neurotherapeutic Pediatric Therapies, Inc.    Canby
------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Avenues for Youth                         Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest Family Services                     Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northwest Human Service, Inc.                 Salem
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oregon Community Programs                     Eugene
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parrot Creek Child and Family Services        Oregon City
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Professional Therapeutic Community Network    Salem
------------------------------------------------------------------------
St. Mary's Home for Boys                      Beaverton
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Next Door, Inc.                           Hood River
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Trillium Family Services                      Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Volunteers of America, Oregon                 Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yamhill Community Action Partnership          Yamhill County
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Youth Progress Association                    Portland
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Youth Unlimited, Inc.                         Gresham
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Youth Villages                                Marylhurst
------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                 ______
                                 
                      Oregon Child Abuse Solutions

                     4300 NE Fremont St., Suite 220

                           Portland, OR 97213

                             (503) 455-8339

                           www.oregoncas.org

                           [email protected]

February 8, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building  219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

Oregon Child Abuse Solutions (OCAS), an Accredited State Chapter of the 
National Children's Alliance, would like to show strong support for the 
confirmation of Rebecca Jones Gaston as ACYF Commissioner.

OCAS supports Oregon's 23 Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) and one 
tribal CAC. CACs provide forensic interviews, medical assessments, 
family advocacy, 
trauma-focused therapy, and community-based prevention services for 
children impacted by abuse. We are a critical partner on Oregon's 36 
multidisciplinary teams and work closely with child protective service 
workers to ensure children and their families can grow into adulthood, 
safe, supported and full of hope.

I have worked closely with Rebecca Jones Gaston since her hire and have 
found Ms. Gaston to be authentic, effective, warm, strategic, and 
visionary. What stands out about Ms. Gaston is her ability to lead a 
driven, focused, and impactful team and her close partnerships with 
community-based providers. Ms. Gaston understands the wide base of 
support and focus Oregon needs to make our state safer and more 
supportive of families experiencing safety concerns.

Ms. Gaston has been instrumental in building a strong vision for 
Oregon's child welfare division and in prioritizing diversity, equity 
and inclusion efforts. Despite competing challenges and priorities, Ms. 
Gaston never fails to show up to the Child Welfare Advisory Committee 
authentically and with action in mind. In her tenure, Ms. Gaston has 
helped lead our child welfare division by creating cohesion and 
developing shared overarching, agreed upon goals. OCAS supports her 
nomination and is very excited to witness what a leader of her caliber 
can accomplish as ACYF Commissioner.

Sincerely,

Becky Jones
Executive Director

                                 ______
                                 
                          Results for America
October 20, 2021

Honorable Charles E. Schumer        Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader                     Minority Leader
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
322 Hart Senate Office Building     317 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
219 Dirksen Senate Office Building  219 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Leader Schumer, Minority Leader McConnell, Chairman Wyden, and 
Ranking Member Crapo:

    As local, state, and national organizations committed to building 
and using data and evidence to address our nation's greatest 
challenges, we are writing to express our strong support for the 
nomination of Robert Gordon to be Assistant Secretary for Financial 
Resources at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    Mr. Gordon has demonstrated his strong commitment to public service 
and evidence-based policy-making over three decades now. During his 
illustrious career at all levels of government, he has added to our 
nation's understanding of how to drive real results that help working 
families. As the Director of the Michigan Department of Health and 
Human Services, he led innovative initiatives to improve agency 
performance and played a central role in the state's early COVID-19 
pandemic response. As a senior official at the White House Office of 
Management and Budget, Mr. Gordon stewarded President Obama's 
administration's evidence-based policymaking initiatives, which closely 
tied program funding to evaluations. In his time at OMB, Mr. Gordon 
also led the design of innovative initiatives in maternal and infant 
home visiting, early childhood development, and child welfare. He had 
direct responsibility for overseeing the Administration for Children 
and Families and Administration on Aging at the U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services, food and nutrition programs at the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, and the Social Security Administration.

    Mr. Gordon understands the power and promise of evidence-based 
policy solutions to effectively advance equitable economic mobility for 
all Americans. His expansive career has allowed him to work on 
evidence-based policy initiatives that strengthened outcomes for 
students ranging from early childhood to higher education. For all of 
these reasons and more, we urge his swift confirmation.

    President Biden, in his January 2021 Executive Orders and 
Memoranda, has made clear his Administration's commitment to evidence-
based policymaking. By confirming Mr. Gordon, the U.S. Department of 
Health and Human Services will continue to lead the charge in investing 
in initiatives that are proven to work and that promote innovation and 
continuous improvement to advance outcomes for all across the country.

Sincerely,

Michele Jolin
CEO and Co-Founder, Results for America

David Medina
COO and Co-Founder, Results for America

Center for Employment Opportunity   Leading Educators
Children's Home Society of America  Marino Ventures, LLC
Code for America                    National Prevention Science 
                                    Coalition
EDGE Consulting                     Northwestern University
Finding Common Purpose              Project Evident
Grant Thornton LLP                  RecycleForce
Green and Healthy Homes Initiative, 
Inc.                                REDF
GreenLight Fund                     Research Institute for Key 
                                    Indicators
Harvard Innovation Labs             Social Innovation Research Center
International Venture Philanthropy 
Center                              Tobin Center for Economic Policy, 
                                    Yale University
 Keys2Work

Melody Barnes, Results for America Senior Fellow, Co-Director, UVA 
Democracy Initiative; and Former Assistant to the President and 
Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council (Obama 
Administration)

John Bridgeland, Results for America Senior Fellow; CEO of Civic; and 
Former Director, White House Domestic Policy Council (G.W. Bush 
Administration); and Member, White House Council for Community 
Solutions (Obama Administration)

Lynn Cominsky, Professor, Physics and Astronomy, Sonoma State 
University

Rebecca Maynard, Professor Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania

                                 ______
                                 
              Letter Submitted by H. Luke Shaefer, Ph.D., 
                          and Michael Brennan
October 27, 2021

The Honorable Senator Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance

The Honorable Senator Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance

Dear Senators Wyden and Crapo:

We were delighted to learn that Robert Gordon has been nominated for 
the role of Assistant Secretary of Financial Resources within the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services. In our roles as Director of 
Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan and special counselor 
to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), and as 
CEO of Civilla, a human-centered design firm that works closely with 
MDHHS, we have had the privilege of working with Gordon during his time 
as director of MDHHS starting in 2019, and later as an advisor to 
Poverty Solutions. His leadership at MHDDS was a tremendous service to 
the people of the State of Michigan. His dedication to evidence-based 
and dignified policies to support low-income Michiganders was 
inspiring. During his time in Michigan, he spearheaded many innovations 
in the delivery of human services. We appreciate the opportunity to 
express our support for him as he seeks confirmation to this new role. 
He would be a tremendous asset to U.S. DHHS.

Gordon demonstrates a deep commitment to honoring human dignity and 
meeting basic human needs by emphasizing efficacy as defined by 
evidence. He argues for simplicity when possible in policy and process. 
During his tenure with the State and as an advisor at Poverty 
Solutions, he not only sent strong messages to the public and staff 
about this commitment, but he acted. Michiganders are better off 
because of it.

His policy work broke down barriers to access to public benefits, 
allowing the State of Michigan to offer low-income residents more life-
saving resources. For example, Gordon led the work of the agency to 
simplify asset tests for benefits that created unnecessary red tape and 
deterred low income families from saving and seeking benefits. More 
importantly, he changed the application so that assets are self 
attested, basing this on the evidence that more arduous rules kept many 
eligible applicants from getting the aid they needed. This saved time 
and work both by those seeking help, and for caseworkers, allowing that 
effort to be put to other uses that could do more to support families 
in need. Under his leadership, the State enacted a child support ``pass 
through,'' which has been shown to increase employment and child 
support payments among non-resident fathers.

He acted quickly at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was 
inspiring to work with him during that time. While he must have worked 
near constantly on the health side of the department, he also empowered 
the human services side of the house to change rules so that 
individuals could access vital services and social safety net supports 
without putting themselves at risk of infection. For instance, under 
Gordon's leadership, Michigan became the first state in the nation to 
get approval for P-EBT food assistance. We simplified and improved 
energy assistance and made changes that would ensure people could get 
the help they needed even with stay at home orders in place.

After Michigan had replaced its public benefits application, Gordon 
spearheaded the replacement of the benefits renewal form, leading to 
thousands more people maintaining access to critical resources and 
saving them thousands of hours spent filling out forms or standing in 
line in the State office. Committed to better serving Michganders, 
Gordon launched projects to simplify language in external 
communications and improve office design. His strong focus on 
implementation was evidenced by his work to eliminate backlogs in case 
processing and his work to ensure staff had the technology to best 
serve residents.

Gordon has the track record, skills, and disposition necessary to 
address the complex challenge of poverty and the complex world of human 
services delivery. He views his work as solving problems for vulnerable 
residents, not just processing benefits. He treats those he serves as 
well as the individuals he employs with dignity and respect. He is a 
true public servant.

Sincerely,

H. Luke Shaefer, Ph.D.              Michael Brennan
Associate Dean for Research and 
Policy Engagement                   CEO and Cofounder
Hermann and Amalie Kohn Professor 
of Social Policy                    Civilla
Gerald R. Ford School of Public 
Policy                              [email protected] 313.449.1878

Director of Poverty Solutions
University of Michigan
[email protected]
734.615.3894

                                 ______
                                 
                           State of Michigan

                         OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

                                Lansing

                       George W. Romney Building

                        111 South Capitol Avenue

                        Lansing, Michigan 48909

                            www.michigan.gov

GRETCHEN WHITMER                                    GARLIN GILCHRIST II
      GOVERNOR                                          LT. GOVERNOR

October 15, 2021

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chairman                            Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
Washington, DC 20510                Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo,

I write in strong support of Robert Gordon's nomination to Assistant 
Secretary for Financial Services, Department of Health and Human 
Services.

Robert served as Director of the Michigan Department of Health and 
Human Services (MDHHS) from January 2019 through January 2021. While 
this role would have been demanding under any circumstances, the COVID-
19 pandemic gave rise to unprecedented challenges.

Robert was a core member of our pandemic response team from the start. 
Michigan declared a state emergency upon the first confirmed case on 
March 10, 2020 and from that day until his departure in January 2020, 
Robert advised on all aspects of our response, including testing, 
prevention and mitigation, and the health care system. Robert worked 
incredibly hard. He led the department during grueling and unimaginable 
circumstances. He was thoughtful, creative, proactive, and informed. 
And above all else, Robert was committed to protecting public health.

I am proud of the work my administration has done to fight this 
pandemic. Robert and his team were an incredibly important part of our 
response and I appreciated his service to our state. The nation will be 
well-served with Robert confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Financial 
Services.

Sincerely,

Gretchen Whitmer
Governor

                                 ______
                                 
                  Voices for Vermont's Children et al.
February 8, 2022

Hon. Ron Wyden
Chairman
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
221 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Hon. Mike Crapo
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance
239 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

On behalf of the undersigned organizations, who are members of the 
State Policy Advocacy and Reform Center (SPARC), a network of state 
multi-issue child advocacy organizations, legal advocates, and 
organizations focused on children and families involved with the child 
welfare system, we write to express our strong support for the 
nomination of January Contreras to the position of Assistant Secretary 
for Children and Families, Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. 
Contreras is extremely qualified for this position and is uniquely 
suited to lead the Administration for Children and Families.

Ms. Contreras is a seasoned administrator at the state and federal 
level. She has served in a cabinet level position in state government, 
a sub-cabinet position in the federal government, and as an advisor to 
Governor Janet Napolitano. Ms. Contreras has managed career and 
political staff, policy agendas, operational directives, development 
and implementation of rules and regulations, and tribal and legislative 
relations. She has managed large teams and budgets effectively with a 
constant focus on the people that receive the services.

Ms. Contreras has been a strong advocate and community leader in 
Arizona. She founded a legal services non-profit organization, Arizona 
Legal Women and Youth Services (ALWAYS), where she served as Executive 
Director for nearly eight years. Ms. Contreras personally represented 
victims of domestic violence; human trafficking; and children and young 
adults experiencing homelessness, foster care, and family separation. 
This work has led Ms. Contreras to advocate for key crisis prevention 
supports, including affordable housing, childcare, and health services.

Ms. Contreras's entire career has centered on public service. She 
advocated for increased access to health care at Arizona's Medicaid 
agency. She launched a racial disparities strategic plan at Arizona's 
Department of Health Services. At the U.S. Department of Homeland 
Security, she led efforts to support immigrant victims of crime. In her 
work through ALWAYS, Ms. Contreras created a legal home for Arizonans 
typically left behind in the justice system, many of whom experienced 
the most traumatic crimes imaginable. She has served on state 
coalitions, task forces and advisory boards focused on domestic 
violence, human trafficking, and young adults transitioning out of 
foster care.

We believe that any review of Ms. Contreras's record, will leave no 
doubt that she should be confirmed as Assistant Secretary for Children 
and Families. We support Ms. Contreras's nomination because, both in 
and out of government positions, Ms. Contreras has established a 
reputation as a trusted leader with integrity who cares deeply about 
the people she serves. In her career, she has worked with local, rural, 
and tribal community and government leaders, judiciary members, grass 
roots organizations, law enforcement, and the philanthropic community. 
She has built a record of working across the political aisle and 
successfully collaborating to accomplish meaningful change.

Thank you for your consideration of our views. If you have any 
questions, please feel free to contact SPARC's Senior Child Welfare 
Policy Manager, Elissa Hyne at (203) 561-7212 or 
[email protected].

Sincerely,

Voices for Vermont's Children
Foster Success
Children's Action Alliance
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Florida's Children First

                                 ______
                                 
                             Youth Villages
February 8, 2022

The Honorable Ron Wyden             The Honorable Mike Crapo
Chair                               Ranking Member
U.S. Senate                         U.S. Senate
Committee on Finance                Committee on Finance
Washington, DC 20515                Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Wyden and Ranking Member Crapo:

On behalf of Youth Villages,\1\ a national leader in children's mental 
and behavioral health committed to building strong families, delivering 
effective services and significantly improving outcomes for children, 
families and young people involved in child welfare and juvenile 
justice systems across the country, we write to express our strong 
support for the confirmation of Oregon's Child Welfare Director Rebecca 
Jones Gaston as the Commissioner of the Administration on Children, 
Youth and Families (ACYF) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services (HHS).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \1\ https://youthvillages.org/.

Throughout her 25-year career in human services and child welfare 
spanning Maryland and Oregon, Director Jones Gaston has dedicated her 
life to improving the lives of children, youth, and families in a 
variety of roles. She has served as a social worker, advocate, 
therapist, consultant and administrator throughout her career. She is 
highly qualified to serve as the ACYF Commissioner and her nomination 
comes at an appropriate time as Congress prepares to take up issues 
like Title IV-B reauthorization and the continuing implementation of 
the Family First Prevention Services Act. These efforts will need 
strong leaders within the Administration to ensure effective 
implementation and delivery of services and programs to all Americans 
that need them. She is also very clear in what youth are facing today. 
As the Committee knows there is a children's mental health crisis that 
has been exacerbated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Director 
Jones Gaston has been clear about the need to prioritize children and 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
adolescent health, including their mental health.

Director Jones Gaston's ``Vision for Transformation''\2\ that she 
successfully implemented in Oregon is needed at the federal level and 
would be an asset for HHS. Her leadership in transforming Oregon's 
child welfare systems into a family well-being system that better meets 
the needs of children, youth, and families is well aligned to the Biden 
Administration's approach to centering lived experience and their 
dedication to prevention where possible, and appropriate interventions 
when necessary. Additionally, Director Jones Gaston understands and has 
demonstrated that transformational work like she has done in Oregon and 
will do for ACYF must be done collaboratively. Director Jones Gaston 
has been able to convene and collaborate with public and private sector 
partners, including those with differing priorities or vision. She 
understands the importance of bringing together tribes, providers, 
school leaders, law enforcement, biological families, foster families, 
adoptive families, young people, cross-system agencies, and many others 
to ensure that children, youth, and families have what they need to 
thrive.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \2\ https://sharedsystems.dhsoha.state.or.us/DHSForms/Served/
de2445.pdf.

ACYF oversees major federal programs that provide financial assistance 
to states, community-based organizations, and academic institutions to 
provide services, carry out research and demonstration activities, and 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
manage training, technical assistance and information dissemination.

In this role, Director Jones Gaston will oversee two bureaus that are 
responsible for improving the lives of children, youth, and families, 
as well as carrying out research and evaluation activities. Youth 
Villages supports this nomination knowing that in her role as Oregon's 
child welfare director she transformed the agencies mission and 
purpose; ultimately reducing the number of children in foster care by 
approximately 1,000 children over two years.

With the recent appointment of Kimberly Waller as Associate 
Commissioner of the Family and Youth Services Bureau and Associate 
Commissioner Aysha Schromburg of the Children's Bureau, we are 
confident that Director Jones Gaston will successfully advance the 
agency's mission of improving the lives of children and families 
through programs that reduce child abuse and neglect, increase the 
number of adoptions, and strengthen foster care.

Director Jones Gaston is knowledgeable with respect to all of the 
programs that are in the jurisdiction of HHS' Administration on 
Children, Youth, and Families. We therefore urge the Committee and the 
Senate to swiftly confirm her as Commissioner of the Administration of 
Children, Youth, and Families.

Sincerely,

Patrick Lawler
CEO

                                   [all]