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Remarks by Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) in accepting the CWLA Congressional Advocate of the Year Award
Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, D.C.
February 27, 2007
Thank you very much. It is an honor for me to accept this award on our behalf. This award is a symbol of the commitment by the Child Welfare League of America, the dedication of caseworkers, and the difference volunteers are making across America in the lives of vulnerable children.
While we pause briefly tonight to celebrate what we've accomplished so far, we know the hard work continues tomorrow. And Senator Chuck Grassley will be there to help. He is known as a work horse, not a show horse, and the Senator from Iowa has been a strong and steady voice in defense of vulnerable children.
No child should be alone. No child should be afraid. And no child in the richest nation on earth should live in poverty, face abuse or fear neglect. We can do better. We know it and we have an obligation to better defend our children. I - for one - will not rest until every child in America is safe from harm, protected from abuse, and adequately defended by community and country.
We made some progress last year in the Promoting Safe and Stables Families program. But, Congress has not done nearly enough. We must never forget that we are the last line of defense. Millions of vulnerable children wake up every day to a life that we should not tolerate. They can't defend themselves, but we can defend them- and we must.
As the new chairman of the Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee in the House, making a difference is my top priority. Everyone in this room understands that our child welfare system has had success and setback. I say let's build on what's good and fix what isn't.
It begins with one core belief: All our children are created equal, and that's how we should treat them, whether they live in Seattle, the district I represent, or New Orleans.
If you believe this, what we need to do next becomes clear. The federal government needs to re-establish itself as a meaningful partner in our child welfare system. We can be the thread that binds our nation tightly together to protect our children.
To accomplish this, we need to make the federal government a partner and a leader. Let me just touch on some of my ideas.
Where states innovate, I want to support these efforts and make the success strategies available everywhere else. We need to support kinship care much as we do with foster care. We need to help states invest more in the caseworkers on the front lines. We need to do a better job providing drug addiction treatment programs. And, we need to fight poverty. Too many kids are living in poverty in homes where both parents are working. How can someone be hopeful when they feel helpless by economic circumstances?
We can be an agent of change. The federal government can invest in its future by protecting vulnerable children. We need to be focused, smart and pragmatic. The American people have to know what we are doing and why.
I believe, the more faith we put in the American people, the more trust they will put in us. They share our fundamental belief: Every child in America has the right to live a healthy, happy, and safe life. Thank you. Enjoy tonight because tomorrow the hard work continues!
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