[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 6]
[House]
[Page 8050]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       NATIONAL FOSTER CARE MONTH

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, May is National Foster 
Care Month and a time to recognize the more than 400,000 foster youth 
in America. During this month, we renew our commitment to ensuring that 
every child has a safe, loving family.
  I am a member of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth and 
continue to this day to have a foster brother that I grew up with. I 
know firsthand how a loving, supportive home can make all the 
difference in a young person's life.
  Mr. Speaker, if we were able to bring together all these children 
into one city, this city would be the 43rd or the 44th largest city in 
the country. More than 200,000 children enter the foster care system 
every year, which translates to a child entering care every 2 minutes. 
Approximately 254,000 will leave foster care this year; nearly 128,000 
will be reunified with their families; another 52,000 will find new 
loving families through adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank every foster parent, volunteer, and mentor who 
works to make sure the needs of our children are not only being met, 
but they have the opportunity to thrive in a loving home.

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