Lee leads bipartisan coalition of 33 governors in letter to the Biden Administration

NASHVILLE, TN - On December 18, 2024, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee led a bipartisan coalition of 33 governors in urging President Biden to act following a decision to halt foreign adoptions by The People’s Republic of China (PRC). The suspension of China’s intercountry adoption program has indefinitely delayed the adoptions of more than 260 children already matched to American families in 44 states.

“Dozens of families, including twelve Tennessee families, are ready and willing to open their homes to these children with medical and emotional needs, and most have waited nearly five years to complete the adoption process,” said Gov. Lee. “We are asking President Biden to take diplomatic action to impress upon the Chinese government the need to fulfill the humanitarian commitment already in place and honor pending adoptions.”

Delays in adoption caused by the program’s suspension continue to create additional logistical challenges for families, such as the need to update costly home studies.

As parties to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, the United States and PRC have collaborated to find permanent homes for over 82,000 Chinese children. While the PRC’s decision to cease intercountry adoptions is within its purview, the governors implore the Chinese government to complete adoptions already in process in accordance with the Hague Convention.

More than 100 Members of Congress sent a bipartisan, bicameral congressional letter to President Biden in November regarding the plight of Chinese children waiting to be united with their adoptive families.

This letter from America’s governors, speaking with one voice, cements the request for diplomatic action.

Under Gov. Lee’s leadership, governors from the following states signed the letter: Alabama, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.