[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 146 (Tuesday, September 4, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    CONFIRMATION OF LYNN A. JOHNSON

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, today I wish to express my opposition 
to the confirmation of Lynn Johnson to become Assistant Secretary for 
Family Support at the Department of Health and Human Services.
  Time and again, this administration has shown a complete lack of good 
judgement on immigration policy. Most recently, the Trump 
administration implemented their family separation policy, which caused 
the cruel separation of thousands of children from their parents, a 
number of whom have still not been reunited.
  The sheer inhumanity of a policy that involves forcibly separating 
children from their families has traumatized these children. Experts 
have said that this trauma will compound the trauma many of these 
children have already experienced fleeing their violent home countries, 
exacerbate learning difficulties, increase depression and post-
traumatic stress disorder, and may make some children more prone to 
substance use disorders.
  These traumatized children have then gone into the care of facilities 
overseen by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which Ms. Johnson will 
oversee. There have been a number of concerning reports about 
facilities caring for these separated children, including medical 
neglect, physical and sexual abuse, overzealous restrictions on phone 
contact with their parents, and inappropriate use of psychotropic drugs 
without parental consent.
  While I understand that Ms. Johnson was not in charge of the agency 
when this policy was implemented, I could not in good conscience vote 
to confirm a nominee who will be charged with carrying out this 
administration's misguided policies.
  Thank you.

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