Fostering the Future Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, as we celebrate National Foster Care Month, I rise in strong support of H.R. 7432, the Fostering the Future Act, a bill that would empower America's foster youth transitioning to adulthood. I thank Chairman Smith for his leadership and attention to these six bills. We would not be debating these bills today if it wasn't for him and his work.

Each year, nearly 16,000 foster youth age out of the child welfare system, often without permanent connections to families. This needs to be fixed.

As chairman of the Work and Welfare Subcommittee, one of my priorities has been to modernize the Chafee Foster Care Program, which exclusively supports foster youth as they transition to adulthood.

Last January, GAO, the Government Accountability Office, published a report which found States have been returning millions of dollars of unused Chafee funds since 2007, despite the need from foster youth.

In response, a bipartisan group of Ways and Means Committee members participated in hearings and listened to the youth with lived experience to develop proposals and ideas to modernize Chafee. I thank Ranking Member Danny Davis for his lifetime of work when it comes to foster care and his legacy in this space.

In addition, First Lady Melania Trump's unwavering commitment to elevating America's foster youth through the Fostering the Future initiative has elevated these issues to the highest level of government. I commend the First Lady for her dedication and passion to these issues. There are many issues she could have championed, but she chose helping foster youth, and our country is better off because of it.

Last November, I was honored to join President Trump and Mrs. Trump as part of the signing of that historic executive order at the White House regarding fostering our future. Mrs. Trump also graciously joined a bipartisan group of Ways and Means members for a roundtable as we worked to develop these proposals.

The Fostering the Future Act represents the most significant reforms to Chafee since its creation in 1999. It is comprised of six bills that together will improve access to stable housing, educational support, workforce training, legal services, and home visiting programs for expectant and parenting foster youth.

Specifically, this bill includes the Foster Youth Housing Opportunity Act, which I introduced with my Democrat colleague, Gwen Moore of Wisconsin. Thirty-five percent of foster youth experience homelessness compared to just 4 percent of the general population. This bill improves coordination between Chafee and Federal housing programs to expand access to vouchers.

This bill also includes the Fresh Starts for Foster Youth Act, which I joined with my friend Danny Davis in introducing, to improve access to legal services for foster youth.

A history of being in foster care should not limit potential for future success. These two specific bills will help our foster youth with future success. By passing the Fostering the Future Act, Congress can ensure that foster youth have the tools they need to achieve economic independence and long-term stability and success.

In closing, I again thank Chairman Smith, Mrs. Trump, and the bipartisan group of Ways and Means Committee members for their steadfast bipartisan collaboration in developing meaningful proposals to support America's foster youth.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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