Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Alex Adams told Newsmax on Wednesday that the federal government is putting states "on notice" that child welfare policies must respect biological reality and parental rights.
Adams, appearing on "National Report," said HHS recently sent a letter to state agencies regarding the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), warning that child removal decisions must be based on legitimate abuse or neglect — not ideological standards.
"The letter that we sent yesterday was specific to CAPTA, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, for which funding goes to all 50 states, and it directs states to take certain actions," he said.
Adams said the federal guidance makes clear that states must precisely define abuse and neglect while also making clear what those terms do not include.
"What we said in the letter is we think states should define clearly what abuse and neglect is and, most importantly, what abuse and neglect is not," he said.
The goal, Adams said, is to ensure that parents are not penalized by government authorities for raising their children in accordance with biological reality.
"We asked states to take an active role in ensuring that no state defines abuse and neglect as parents defending and raising their children according to their biological reality," he said.
Adams warned that cases in which families face intervention for rejecting gender-transition demands represent unacceptable government overreach.
"Anywhere this happens, one case is too many," he said.
Adams cited a case highlighted by President Donald Trump during the recent State of the Union address involving a child named Sage Blair whose parents are suing a Virginia school district for allegedly socially transitioning her in secret.
"What happened to Sage Blair should not happen to anybody," Adams said.
Moving forward, Adams said that HHS policies will emphasize two principles guiding federal child welfare oversight.
"We're putting states on notice that HHS policies are going to do two things," he said. "First, HHS policies are going to defend biological reality. Second, we're going to protect and defend parental rights, including their sincerely held religious beliefs and moral convictions."
He noted the federal government has significant authority through the billions of dollars it distributes to state systems each year.
"The federal role is we're financier and overseer," Adams said. "We send about $12 billion out to state child welfare systems from the federal government each year."
Those federal funds flow throughout the country's child welfare infrastructure, giving HHS a role in ensuring policies remain focused on protecting children from actual harm.
"With funding, certainly there are threats of removal of funding," he said.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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