Iowa Reps. support resolution on Congolese adoptions

American families whose adoptions of children from the Democratic Republic of Congo have been suspended received support from the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday.

A bipartisan coalition passed a resolution officially requesting the Congolese government resume processing adoption cases and issuing exit permits. The adoptions were stalled after the Congolese government stopped issuing exit permits in Sept. 2013. Exit permits are the final step for children to leave the country with their adoptive parents.

Originally co-sponsored by 22 Representatives, including Democrat Bruce Braley of Iowa's first district, the resolution gained a total of 61 co-sponsors, including 33 Republicans and 28 Democrats. Introduced by Rep. Collin Peterson, a democrat from Minnesota, it was also co-sponsored by Iowa Reps. Tom Latham, a Republican from the third district, and Dave Loebsack, a Democrat from the second district.

Braley's office said in a statement he became interested in the issue after speaking with Erin and Michael Peat of Dubuque, who are trying to bring two Congolese children to Iowa. He has also met with families from Clear Lake, Bettendorf, and West Des Moines whose adoptions have stalled.

Approximately 460 families had their adoptions suspended, but the Peats are one of only about 50 families that have had it occur at such a late stage in the process, Braley's office said. They were granted their adoption visa by the United States but now cannot get the exit permits.

The Congolese government said the suspension is due to concerns over reports of abuse of children adopted from the Democratic Republic of Congo and reports of children being adopted by a second set of parents once in their new countries. It applies to all intercountry adoptions, not only to adoptions by American parents.

In May the Congolese government announced it would issue exit permits to 62 children adopted by foreigners, including 15 American families.

The resolution, H.R. 588, encourages continued cooperation between the Department of State and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to improve the intercountry adoption process and ensure the welfare of all children adopted from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

'It's clear that the issue of uniting these families has bipartisan support - and that's in line with the overwhelming support I've seen from Iowans who want to see this issue resolved,” Braley said. 'We need to keep up the pressure on the Congolese government until all of the American families currently living in limbo are able to bring their children home.”