Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.) urged Congress to act more urgently to address the youth mental health crisis, which they called a nonpartisan issue.
The co-chairs of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus spoke at Punchbowl News’ Summit on Youth Mental Health Wednesday, where they also discussed funding for the Department of Homeland Security and the controversial ICE raids across the country.
DHS funding. Gonzales said Republicans and Democrats remain gridlocked over ICE agents’ use of masks and the need for warrants for immigration raids. Gonzales said there could be bipartisan agreement to focus immigration raids on undocumented immigrants already in U.S. jails.
“If you’re conducting these raids at a jail instead of a raid in a neighborhood, it’s a controlled environment,” Gonzales said. “You’ve got somebody that’s already had their due process.”
Salinas said Congress has to have oversight over DHS and added she’s not confident there won’t be another lapse in DHS funding.
“We have to follow the law, and this agency is supposed to be the enforcer of laws,” Salinas said.
Congress earlier this week voted to fund DHS until Feb. 13, and it’s unclear whether both parties will reach an agreement on time.
Mental health. Gonzales said that too much screen time is hurting children’s mental health across every community.
“This is an area where I think Congress really needs to step up,” Gonzales said.
Salinas said youth mental health is a bipartisan issue and called for additional resources and tools, including mental health facilities and providers for youth.
“The kids are not OK, and this is going to take a whole entire country approach,” Salinas said. “That means infrastructure, actual facilities and residential treatment facilities that can care for our kids.”
Fireside chat. Former Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) urged the country to have more conversations on the challenges and potential solutions around youth mental health. Curbelo now sits on the board of the Coalition to Empower Our Future, a group focused on pushing the conversation of youth mental health forward.
Curbelo said parents have a role to play by figuring out “how to relate to their kids better,” such as taking walks together rather than confiscating their phones as punishment.
“We need to empower parents to understand the challenges that young people are having, to understand the opportunities and risks associated with technology,” Curbelo said.
Industry experts weigh in. Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, Nicole Owings-Fonner of the American Academy of Pediatrics Center of Excellence on Social Media and Youth Mental Health, and Ed Foster-Simeon of the U.S. Soccer Foundation continued the conversation on youth mental health.
The panelists agreed that young people need to be more engaged in their communities and involved in after-school activities like sports to mitigate the impact of factors like technology and the Covid-19 isolation on their mental health.
You can watch the full video here.
