[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 9, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1561-S1562]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       National Foster Care Month

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan first 
recognized May as National Foster Care Month. Every year since then, 
the month of May has been recognized as a time to bring awareness to 
the needs of America's young people who are placed in foster care. It 
is also important to recognize organizations in Iowa and around the 
country tirelessly serving kids and families in our foster care system.
  I salute these organizations and individuals for their year-round 
efforts to support the kids, kids who are most in need.
  In 2021, there were nearly 400,000 kids in foster care. More than 
4,000 of those 400,000 are in my home State of Iowa.
  Older youth in foster care and adults who experienced foster care as 
a child can speak to what worked for them and what didn't work. They 
should have a seat at the table and a voice in making policy about 
foster care.
  When I founded the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth in 2009, the very 
special focus of the caucus was to hear directly from young people in 
foster care. We also wanted to hear from those who had been aged out of 
the system without having a permanent place to call home.
  Over and over again, I have heard an urgent point of view from these 
young people and also the teenagers who are in foster care. What I 
heard was that they would like some permanence. They would say it like 
they would like to have a mom and dad. They would like to have a 
family. They would want a place to call home, instead of being shuffled 
around--maybe two or three different schools in 1 year, which means two 
or three different foster homes in that year.
  All children, no matter of their circumstances then, deserve a 
permanent, loving home. They need consistent, caring adults in their 
lives. This year during foster care month, I want to give special 
recognition to families who answer the call to help vulnerable children 
and the teens in their communities.
  My resolution recognizing National Foster Care Month also marks May 
31 as a very particular day to celebrate and show appreciation to 
foster parents.
  Throughout my years in the U.S. Senate, I have worked to keep 
families together. For example, I have expanded access to prevention 
services to help parents safely keep custody of their children during 
substance abuse treatment. The family, as we all know, is the bedrock 
of our society, so we must work to strengthen the family in the hopes 
of keeping vulnerable children out of foster care in the first place.
  At the same time, it is important that we support the very people who 
are taking care of these kids--the ones we call foster parents. They 
answer the call to take into their homes children and teens who have 
experienced trauma in their very young lives. Foster parents--all of 
them--deserve recognition and support.
  In Iowa, almost every county has a shortage of foster parents who are 
able to provide temporary homes for these young people. Without 
volunteer foster parents, kids who cannot remain safely at home often 
end up sleeping in hotels or in offices of social workers.
  I have introduced a bipartisan bill called the Recruiting Families 
Using Data Act. This legislation would improve how States recruit 
foster parents and help ensure that they are supported and actually 
heard. It would help States conduct targeted recruitment for specific 
areas of need and help kids get matched with the best families for 
their individual circumstances.
  We know that having at least one loving adult in the lives of these 
young people can meaningfully improve the academic, the social, and the 
emotional well-being of these kids. That positive experience lasts long 
into adulthood.
  When family reunification is not an option--and that ought to be the 
first

[[Page S1562]]

option--we know that adoption can provide a permanent, loving home for 
a child in need. Recent data show that adoptions from foster care is 
declining, with 12,000 fewer children having been adopted in 2021 than 
in 2019. Currently, more than 100,000 young people in foster care are 
waiting for adoption across our country, including more than 1,000 in 
my State of Iowa. By improving support for foster families, we can help 
increase adoptions for kids who are placed in foster care.
  Moving forward, Congress must continue to work to find more solutions 
and secure better outcomes for youth in foster care. Whether the best 
choice is family reunification or adoption or living with relatives, 
the goal is always and must be the same: to protect kids from neglect 
and from abuse and to provide them with love and with support.
  I urge my colleagues to pass my resolution to recognize May as 
National Foster Care Month.
  Once again, I will continue to lead efforts with members of our 
bipartisan Senate Caucus on Foster Youth to help these young Americans 
achieve their full potential and have a place to call home for the rest 
of their lives.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Jersey.