Last week on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, the Senate Finance Committee moved forward on the nominations to fill the leads for the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Administration on Children Youth and Families (ACYF).  Rebecca Jones-Gaston was nominated by President Biden for the ACYF position on November 18, 2021. January Contreras was nominated for the ACF position on December 8, 2021.  The Committee held a confirmation hearing on February 9 and delayed a final vote pending response to panel questions.  The vote was 14 to 12 with Republican Senators Mike Crapo and Senator Charles Grassley joining 12 Democrats.

Both positions are critical to child welfare services with the ACF position overseeing a range of programs including aging programs, child care, TANF, and refugee assistance in addition to child welfare programs.  The ACYF position is directly over the Children’s Bureau and the Family and Youth Services Bureau.

The Committee also moved forward with the nomination of Robert Gordon for Assistant Secretary of Financial Services.  All three positions must now be approved by the full Senate.