Q: What is National Adoption Month?
A: More than four decades ago, President Ronald Reagan used the power of the bully pulpit to bring attention to the tens of thousands of children in foster care awaiting a forever home. In 1984, he signed a Senate Joint Resolution to designate the week before Thanksgiving as National Adoption Week. Choosing this week corresponds with the season of thanksgiving and appreciation for the blessings of family. Strong families are the cornerstone of society that strengthens the social fabric of America from one generation to the next. Celebrating family reunification or newly forged families united through adoption inspires others who may be in a position to consider opening their hearts and homes to the rewarding experience that parenthood can bring. During the Clinton administration, the entire month of November was designated to raise more awareness about the chasm between kids awaiting adoption and those blessed with forever homes.
National Adoption Month honors the parents and families who have answered the call to open their homes and provide a lifelong foundation of support for the tens of thousands of kids awaiting a forever family. I’m glad to report my bipartisan efforts at the policymaking table in recent years have helped reunite and keep families intact, as well as provide financial resources for foster and adoptive families to take in children who encounter the foster care system. For example, the landmark Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 is credited with helping to significantly lower the number of children in Iowa’s foster care system. According to the Iowa Data Center, the number of kids in foster care in Iowa lowered from 10,400 in 2013 to 6,586 in 2022. Giving families tools and services to safely stay intact leads to brighter futures for kids to help overcome neglect and trauma with the certainty and stability of family reunification or kinship care, as an example.
Q: What victories for adoptive families and foster youth have you championed in Congress?
A: Through my committee assignments in the U.S. Senate, I’ve worked at the policymaking table to strengthen families and support kids who enter the foster care system so they may reach their full potential, especially those who age out of foster care without the support of a forever family and permanent place to call home. As a member and former chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, I secured legislation to make the federal adoption tax credit a permanent part of the tax code. This summer, I supported the tax law signed by President Trump that expanded the child tax credit, boosted childcare financial assistance and made the adoption tax credit accessible to more families. Allowing families to keep more money in their pocket gives parents more breathing room to pay for groceries, put gas in the car and afford to take care of their kids.
In 2009, I co-founded the Senate Caucus on Foster Youth to connect federal legislators with researchers, advocates and youth who have lived in a foster care setting to identify and facilitate support as they transition into adulthood. Hosting policy forums give current foster youth and alumni a platform to share their stories and inform policymaking that can protect taxpayer dollars and improve federal programs serving families and children in need. This summer an Iowan participated at an event on Capitol Hill I hosted to discuss barriers foster kids face as they transition into adulthood.
President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump announced an initiative called Fostering the Future for American Children and Families during National Adoption Month. The executive order seeks to modernize the child welfare system and develop partnerships with government agencies, academic institutions and private sector organizations to create educational and employment opportunities for youth who age out of the foster care system. I applaud their efforts. Reminiscent of President Reagan some 40 years ago, President Trump and the First Lady are leveraging the power of the bully pulpit to bring awareness to children in America who yearn for a forever home and for parents they can call mom and dad long after they reach adulthood. I’ll continue bringing their voices to the policymaking table and was pleased to cosponsor the bipartisan Senate resolution marking November as National Adoption Month and November 22 as National Adoption Day. Of course, the needs of kids awaiting adoption require attention every day of the year. I’m grateful to collaborate with grassroots advocates on child welfare issues and was pleased to present Four Oaks Family and Children’s Services with the “Angels in Adoption” Award in September for its decades of work on behalf of children and families across Iowa.
Four Oaks manages five regions across Iowa to help local families navigate the process to become foster or adoptive parents. Learn more online or call (877) 364-1113.