Father's Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, Father's Day is coming up. Father's Day is this Sunday.

As a dad--and, actually, my two daughters are coming into the Galleries right now--it is a time for reflection and for gratitude, quite frankly.

I delivered my maiden speech earlier this week, on Tuesday, and a big part of that was of the influence that my father had on my life. Growing up in a working-class neighborhood and seeing him work 7 days a week on the 12 midnight shift and going to events and being a great role model for me is something that I am eternally grateful for.

I have had a lot of different positions or jobs or titles, but the most important one that I will ever have is being a father to my son Stephen and to my two daughters, Sophia and Olivia.

I also mentioned in that maiden speech the inspiration that my son gave me to run for office. Stephen was born with a rare genetic condition and suffers from epilepsy. He is nonverbal. He gave me and has given me, every day, a perspective on what is really important and what my focus is.

I know, for a lot of dads out there, being a father keeps them grounded. It is the most important thing that they will ever do. We all have important business to do even in this place, but being a dad is paramount.

And I have got my two daughters. I talk about Stephen a lot because Stephen, again, was my inspiration. He has profound medical challenges that my wife and I--and Jaime is here as well--deal with every day. If Stephen were here, he would be giving us big hugs. He is a great kid. My two daughters, in their own rights, are incredible people. Sophia is on her journey and is a great kid, a great swimmer. I am just blessed to be her dad. Then Olivia was asking thoughtful questions on the way here. So we know the statistics are just simply undeniable, and that is certainly my story.

But I know that, across the board, in a larger sense, the litany of research related to the positive outcomes that fathers have when they are involved with their children are those of better school readiness and performance, higher self-esteem, greater social awareness. Increased father engagement can play an important role in improving maternal healthcare, in addressing maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States, and in bettering the development of the child and the long-term growth of the child.

It was an honor to sponsor this resolution with the Senator from Georgia, my friend, as we shared what we thought was really important to come before this Chamber in advance of Father's Day.

This resolution recognizes what we already know--that the presence of a strong father contributes to a child's life in insurmountable ways. It is hard to calculate what those are. We have some statistics, but we all know that intuitively, and it strengthens our society as a whole. It is important that we recognize that and celebrate that on this Father's Day.

So, to all of the dads out there, have a great Father's Day. I don't know what is on your wish list, but I hope you enjoy it and that we all have a greater sense of gratitude for the most important job we will ever have in our lives.

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