Grassley Recognizes Trump Administration’s Foster Care Initiatives, Highlights Legislation to Bolster Foster Parent Recruitment and Retention

Floor Remarks by Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore “Home for Every Child Initiative” Monday, March 23, 2026 VIDEO In my years in the United States Senate, I’ve been a person very interested in the foster care system, serving the young people. So, I’d like to recognize a meaningful initiative that the Administration [for] Children and Families, or “ACF,” launched called, “A Home for Every Child.” ACF’s A Home for Every Child initiative “sets an ambitious goal of achieving a foster home-to-child ratio greater than one-to-one in every state.” I applaud this very ambitious goal, and I also have been working to beef up foster parent recruitment and retention efforts because kids in foster care deserve qualified, well-trained and loving parents. My bipartisan Recruiting Families Using Data Act complements ACF’s A Home for Every Child initiative by enabling state child welfare agencies to integrate best practices along with quality data. This will help ensure that foster youths and parents are best supported. When referring to raising a child, a common is phrase is used: “It takes a village.” That phrase rings more true when a child experiences foster care. So, I want to take this opportunity to thank First Lady Melania Trump for her work to modernize the child welfare system, and it will strengthen partnerships for youth aging out of foster care through the program entitled, “Fostering the Future for American Children and [Families]” initiative. I also want to thank Assistant Secretary Adams for following through on his commitment to tackle [the] foster recruitment and retention challenge that is tainting child welfare agencies nationwide. I look forward to continuing to work with the Senate Committee on Finance to advance [the] Recruiting Families Using Data Act. -30-