Congressional Testimony

Excerpt:As members of the U.S. Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), a coalition of national organizations dedicated to addressing child poverty in the United States, we are writing to urge you to build on the momentum following this hearing by passing the Child Poverty Reduction Act and establishing a national commitment to cut our child poverty rate in half within a decade. The Time to Act is Now.Read Full Testimony Here.

Excerpt:On behalf of the First Focus Campaign for Children, a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions, we write today in support of H.R. 2820, The Dream Act of 2019; H.R. 2821, The American Promise Act of 2019; and H.R. 549, the Venezuela TPS Act of 2019. Because Congress has neglected to act, the future for more than 800,000 recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program still remains uncertain. DACA recipients and Dreamers have shown great resilience over the last two years, and have continued to...

First Focus Campaign for Children submitted the following statement for the record to the Senate Judiciary Committee.Excerpt from the statement:The First Focus Campaign for Children is a bipartisan advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. As an organization dedicated to promoting the safety and well-being of all children in the United States, we have been urging both Congress and the Administration to uphold the best interest of the children involved in all decisions regarding the long-term impact of forced family separation and detention due to immigration enforcement. While we are grateful that...

First Focus Campaign for Children submitted this Statement for the Record  to U.S. Senate Committee on Finance Subcommittee on Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy for the hearing titled, "Examining the Importance of Paid Family Leave for American Working Families."Excerpt:The Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act of 2017, introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-3), would create a program that combines employer and employee payroll contributions to create a shared fund for paid family and medical leave for all employers of all sizes. Workers in all companies would be eligible for up to 12 weeks...

First Focus Campaign for Children submitted the following statement for the record to the Senate Committee on Judiciary Border Security and Immigration Subcommittee.Excerpt from the statement:First Focus is a bipartisan children’s advocacy organization dedicated to making children and families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions. Our organization is committed to ensuring that our nation’s immigration policies promote child well-being and ensure that all children have the opportunity to live a healthy and successful life. The humanitarian crisis in the northern triangle of Central America has caused an increase in the number of young people who are fleeing horrific...

On October 3, 2017, the First Focus Campaign for Children submitted a statement for the record to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on the oversight of the Administration's decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).Read the statement.

The First Focus Campaign for Children submitted this statement for the California State Assembly Human Services Committee hearing on “Measure AB 1520, Lifting Children and Families out of Poverty Act of 2017.”Read the testimony here.

The First Focus Campaign for Children submitted this statement for the Senate Appropriations Transportation, Housing & Urban Development Subcommittee hearing on "HUD Efforts to Prevent & End Youth Homelessness."

The First Focus Campaign for Children submitted this statement for the record for the Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing on December 10, 2014 entitled The President’s Executive Action on Immigration and the Need to Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The statement highlights the important impact of the executive immigration actions on family unity and child well-being and calls on Congress to provide a permanent solution for immigrant families by passing comprehensive immigration reform.

On November 19, 2014, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing titled Protecting Our Children’s Mental Health: Preventing and Addressing Childhood Trauma in Indian Country. The First Focus Campaign for Children submitted this statement urging Congress  to allocate more resources and funds to tribes to ensure AI/AN children who have experienced trauma receive appropriate services and to empower tribes with criminal jurisdiction over crimes committed against their members.