The Congressional Dads Caucus is expanding its portfolio to try and address two issues impacting the United States: mental health and gun violence.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., founder and chair of the first-ever Congressional Dads Caucus, announced this week that founding members Reps. Rob Menendez, D-N.J., and Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., would chair the Mental Health Task Force and the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, respectively.

Gomez says the new groups will convene experts to better educate members and propose policy for caucus members to consider as the Dads Caucus continues to grow.

“Our nation is dealing with two crises that are causing irreparable harm to families—the gun violence epidemic and the mental health crisis—and these two task force chairs will focus our 31-member caucus on addressing these critical issues,” said Gomez in a release announcing the task forces. 

“Rep. Goldman has a strong history of advocating for common sense gun safety policies, and I’m proud to have him leading our task force to combat gun violence, which is now the number one killer of children,” Gomez added. “I have full confidence that Rep. Menendez will use this platform to advance policies and ideas that make mental health care more accessible and affordable for every person —this work is crucial.”   

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, firearms contributed to the deaths of more children ages 1-17 years in the U.S. than any other type of injury or illness in 2020 and 2021. More than 2,500 children died as a result of firearms in 2021.

Goldman said in a statement he is “humbled” by this new role and that he will “use every tool and resource” to try and make progress on the issue.

“The most important role in my life is as a father to my five kids whose safety I fear for every single day that I send them off to school,” Rep. Goldman said. “Gun violence is a public health crisis in this country and now the leading cause of death for children in America, with kids across the country learning active shooter drills before they learn multiplication tables. Ending the scourge of gun violence must be a national priority, and I thank my fellow Congressional dads for their trust in selecting me as the new Chair of the Dads Caucus Gun Violence Prevention Working Group.”

A 2022 study from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education conducted surveys with teens and young adults and a partner survey with parents or caregivers. Eighteen percent of teens reported suffering anxiety, while about 20% of mothers and 15% of fathers reported anxiety. Fifteen percent of teens reported depression, with 16% of mothers and 10% of fathers reporting they battle depression as well. 

“All families deserve resources to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy, but too often, mental health gets overlooked in our healthcare system,” Menendez said in a release. “Mental health services remain out of reach for millions of American families, while stigmas make it more difficult for them to get the care they need. I am honored to Chair the Dads Caucus Mental Health Taskforce and to collaborate with my colleagues to support healthy families.”

The Dads Caucus was launched earlier this year by Gomez after the California congressman went viral for carrying his son on the House floor during the marathon voting for House Speaker. At the time, Gomez told Spectrum News he wanted to launch the caucus to address some of the double standards in parenting. 

“I'm getting a lot of praise for things that women naturally do, and, at the same time, are criticized for it,” Gomez said in February. “If a woman takes a kid to work, then their commitment and their dedication is questioned. When it's a man, it's like, ‘oh, that's just good parenting.’ Well, I think in the end, we got to do more.” 

The group started with 22 members and has continued to grow in recent months to grow its ranks to 30 democrats. Back in June, the group held a roundtable event with the Second Gentleman ahead of Fathers Day to talk about the Biden-Harris administration's work on family issues and what more can be done, such as advocating for paid family leave for all.

The group is even seeing one of its Dads take family leave following the birth of his daughter: Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who is also running for Senate, is taking family leave after he and his wife welcomed the couple’s second child, Isla.

“Gallego is setting a powerful example and breaking the stigma around dads putting their families first,” the caucus said in a statement released following Gallego’s announcement.