Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking my colleague and friend, Mr. Feenstra, for his work on this legislation. I think we have proven once again that while we do have our divisions in this body and some divisions in this country, there are certain issues that bring us together across party lines and across different aspects of our society.

Mr. Feenstra and I, I think, proved that with our work on this legislation, along with other Members who have joined together to put this really important act together to help foster youth have a better path forward in life.

This legislation, as Mr. Feenstra said, is a commonsense approach to solving one of the problems that we see in the foster care system. It will improve the recruitment and retention of foster families so that we can get more kids into safe and loving homes.

Across the country, there is a severe shortage of foster parents, and retention of foster families, of foster parents, is a big part of the problem. Most foster parents stop fostering after just 1 year, and many stop fostering after their very first or second foster placement.

Under current law, States have the responsibility to develop plans, known as diligent recruitment plans, outlining the actions they will take to ensure that every kid in their care is connected to a family that meets their particular needs. However, a recent review conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services shows that these plans need significant reform and improvement.

States rarely use data to inform recruitment and retention strategies, and often, they fail to engage foster parents or foster youth, the people who understand the system better than anyone, in developing those plans.

What this means is that States continue to have difficulty finding and keeping foster parents, which has devastating impacts for those foster kids.

The most recent Federal review of Michigan's foster care system cites countless reports of children sleeping in offices or hotels for weeks and months as they await placement in a foster home.

Our social workers are doing the best they can, stepping up to take care of these children when they don't have anyone else, but that is not the kind of home that any child deserves.

As we continue to grapple with this severe shortage of foster homes, we are also seeing a growing number of foster parents drop out of the system because they just aren't getting the support that they need.

In 2023, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported that close to one-third of foster parents terminate their foster care licenses each year. This, of course, only puts more stress on a system that desperately needs more safe and loving homes.

Mr. Speaker, our legislation, the Recruiting Families Using Data Act, is the first step toward addressing this crisis. To help States better meet the needs of foster children in their care, the bill would replace the outdated diligent recruitment plans with family partnership plans that are developed in consultation with foster youth and their families; support foster family advisory boards, which give foster parents a voice in the policy development process; and, as the title of the bill suggests, use data to establish recruitment and retention goals and measure progress toward those goals.

This is a subject that is close to me. In my original career for almost a decade, I was a social worker working in this field. In fact, I was working in a residential agency for the most at-risk kids in our population, neglected and abused kids. So I know, from my own personal experience, the weaknesses in the system, and I know that fixing the system will require the expertise of the people who know it best.

The foster care system is known best by the people who are part of it, the families and the youth who have gone through it. By giving people a voice and using data that we derive from them and their experiences, we will find better ways to recruit and find retainment strategies that really work.

While it doesn't solve the entire problem, this bill would make a significant improvement to the foster care system not just in my home State but all across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cherfilus-McCormick).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

I thank my colleague, Mr. Feenstra, for his work on this, as well as all my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee and throughout Congress for supporting this legislation.

As I said, there is much we need to do to improve the foster care system, to recognize the needs of foster youth, to make sure that they have a safe and loving home, to put them on a path to be the best versions of themselves. This is a step in that direction. I encourage all my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing Ms. Lucetia Manwaring as she marks her retirement from public service after 30 years as a congressional staff member. As a Casework Manager in my office, Ms. Manwaring has established herself as a dedicated and distinguished professional with a demonstrated record of achievement.

Lucetia has served our country in many ways, including in the U.S. Navy from 1989 to 1993. During this time, she served on the U.S. Navy Submarine Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Nuclear Repair Division; served honorably in U.S. Desert Storm campaign; and was a member of the U.S. Ready Reserve from 1993 to 2000. In addition, she has received several awards, including the Navy Wide Command Award, the National Defense Service Medal for Desert Storm, and a Naval Citation.

Lucetia received her Master of Science in Human Services from Capella University, and her Bachelor of Business Administration from Davenport University. She was a member of the Dean's List upon completing both degrees. Since 1994, Ms. Manwaring has helped thousands of constituents throughout the state of Michigan. Her tenure began as a staff member for my uncle, retired U.S. Congressman Dale Kildee. She met Congressman Dale Kildee while serving in the Navy and began her career as a staff member shortly thereafter. Upon his retirement, I was grateful to have her join my staff as well.

Ms. Manwaring's career is a true example of public service. Throughout her career she has been a tireless advocate for her community and her work has had a lasting impact on the lives of hundreds of Michiganders. I am grateful to be represented by such dedicated employees who work hard to make our community and Nation a better place.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud Ms. Lucetia Manwaring for her unwavering commitment to public service and extend my heartfelt gratitude for her years of service to our great country.

Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the VET PFAS Act, legislation to ensure PFAS-exposed veterans get the healthcare benefits that they need through the Veterans Administration.

For decades, the Department of Defense has known that toxic PFAS chemicals cause serious health issues. Yet the VA continues to deny veterans, like Lieutenant Colonel Sauer, coverage for PFAS-related illnesses.

Lieutenant Sauer served in the Army for 22 years and was stationed at 10 bases with known PFAS contamination. Due to that exposure, he now has an uncertain and uncurable form of cancer.

Lieutenant Colonel Sauer is sick because of his service to this country, but he has been denied access to care from the VA. When Lieutenant Sauer joined the military, we promised to take care of him when he came home. Right now, we are not making good on that sacred promise.

There are thousands of veterans like Lieutenant Colonel Sauer who have been impacted by harmful PFAS chemicals. That is why I am calling for us to immediately take up the VET PFAS Act and keep the promise we made to the people who put on the uniform of this Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I stand in solidarity with the hardworking men and women of the United Auto Workers as they bargain for a fair contract.

Unions helped build the middle class. The labor movement was actually founded in large part in my district, the Eighth Congressional District of Michigan, in my hometown of Flint where the autoworkers sat down in the auto plants to stand up for good wages, for safer working conditions, and for better benefits.

Every day in my district, UAW members build award-winning vehicles. They are standing up to demand a fair share of the value that they produce. Everyone, every worker, not just those at the top, should benefit from that.

The fight is not just about fair contracts for union workers, though. It is about fairness and the future of all workers in this country.

In Congress, I have championed bills to expand workers' rights, including the right to join a union, and I have

stood in opposition to those efforts to try to take those rights away to pass antiworker, anti-union legislation that would hurt our economy and hurt American families.

Let me be clear. To the men and women of the UAW who are fighting for a fair contract, I stand in solidarity with you.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to a flight cancellation. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 329 (S. 111) and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 330 (H.R. 813).

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to ongoing treatment from my recent cancer diagnosis. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 274, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 275, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 276.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this veto override resolution to support the Michigan and American workers and to hold those who violate U.S. trade laws accountable.

Let me be clear: I am proud to have worked with President Biden and his administration on important new laws, new laws like the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, which I had a hand in writing. These legislative victories have helped to bring back critical manufacturing and to create good-paying American jobs.

However, on this particular issue, the President and I disagree.

For far too long, bad trade deals and unfair trade practices from other countries have hurt American workers. I believe that we need to enforce our current trade laws and strengthen our ability to fight unfair trade practices.

When companies explicitly endeavor to evade, to circumvent our trade laws, there is no choice. We have to hold them accountable. That is why Congress, with strong bipartisan votes in both the House and the Senate, acted on our legislation.

The Biden administration's own Commerce Department investigation found that companies are evading U.S. tariffs on solar imports by circumventing those provisions. Yet, the administration has suspended enforcement on this matter. That is not acceptable to the specific workers that I represent because, let's keep in mind, we have to be thinking about the entirety of the supply chain when it comes to solar energy production, including polysilicon production.

By suspending tariffs on those that violate our trade laws, we are rewarding the worst behavior and penalizing those companies that choose to follow the law. Failing to act will mean that other countries will think they can simply take advantage of American business and the American worker, making us more reliant on foreign manufacturing and supply chains, including for our clean energy needs.

Climate change is real. Addressing climate change is important, and fair trade is important. We can't be shortsighted in our efforts and rely on foreign companies and countries to meet our energy goals, especially when they have been found to be in violation of U.S. trade laws. It is a false choice. It is a false choice to suggest that we can either choose to combat climate change or protect American manufacturers and American workers. We can do both.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' to override this veto and to hold those companies, those bad actors, accountable. This is not simple. It is difficult, but we do need to make sure----

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to finish my point.

There will always be an argument to look the other way, to get cheaper products by looking the other way when it comes to some of the worst practices in manufacturing on this planet. Of course, it is going to be cheaper to look the other way when workers are being exploited, when intellectual property is being stolen, when child labor is being utilized. It will always be cheaper, but it is wrong.

We can do both. We don't have to make the sacrifice of one principle in the name of the other. We can't take the position that for only 24 months, we are going to look the other way, and then we are going to go back to adhering to both of these principles.

We can do both. I encourage my colleagues to join me in doing so.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to a medical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 195 (PQ-H. Res. 327), NAY on Roll Call No 196 (H. Res. 327), and YEA on Roll Call No. 197 (H.R. 1353).

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to a medical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 201.

Stated against:

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to a medical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 193 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 194.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to a medical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 190, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 191, and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 192.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to a medical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 188 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 189.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to attend votes due to a medical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on rollcall No. 183 (H.R. 1151), and yea on rollcall No. 184 (H. Res. 240).

Mr. Speaker, I am unable to attend votes due to a medical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 185, ``nay'' on rollcall No. 186, and ``nay'' on rollcall No. 187.