Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow brought a message to Capitol Hill this week that had little to do with football and everything to do with protecting children.
According to Fox News, while speaking before members of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee, Tebow urged lawmakers to support new legislation aimed at strengthening the fight against child exploitation, trafficking, and abuse.
Tebow, who founded and chairs the Tim Tebow Foundation, used his testimony to advocate for the Renewed Hope Act of 2026, a bipartisan proposal designed to increase federal resources devoted to investigating and stopping crimes against children.
During his remarks, Tebow described the issue as one of the most urgent humanitarian crises facing the country.
“It is a thin line between tortured and treasured,” Tebow told lawmakers Tuesday. “And you are that thin line.”
The former quarterback said his foundation has already taken steps to support victims and assist law enforcement efforts in combating exploitation.
According to Tebow, the organization currently provides support to 52 safe homes that care for victims of abuse and trafficking. The foundation is also expanding that effort by helping to support an additional 19 homes.
Tebow said his organization is committed to doing everything possible to confront the issue.
“We are working imperfectly, but in every way that we can,” he told the committee.
The Renewed Hope Act seeks to create a specialized workforce within the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations division. The proposal would establish more than 200 analysts, investigators, and forensic specialists dedicated to coordinating child sexual exploitation investigations.
The measure would also provide training and tools for law enforcement officers focused on identifying victims, locating missing children, and rescuing those who appear in abuse databases.
Supporters of the legislation say the need for stronger resources has become increasingly clear in recent years.
According to the Tim Tebow Foundation, there are an estimated 57,000 unidentified victims of child trafficking whose identities remain unknown within exploitation databases.
However, Tebow told the committee that the number of child victims has now grown to more than 89,000.
These children often remain outside official protection systems, meaning many continue to suffer without being located or rescued.
Tebow also pointed to the growing scale of online abuse networks.
In the past six months alone, he said more than 338,000 unique IP addresses located in the United States have been identified trading child sexual abuse images across peer-to-peer networks.
“Every day, [these children] are praying that we are going to respond,” Tebow said in his testimony. “But how are we going to respond?”
He said the proposed legislation offers a chance to significantly strengthen the country’s ability to rescue victims.
“I am deeply grateful to the members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who are coming together to support the Renewed Hope Act of 2026,” Tebow said. “This legislation gives our nation the opportunity to build a stronger rescue team of analysts and investigators so that children who are suffering can be identified and protected. This is a problem we can solve.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism, also emphasized the importance of confronting trafficking networks.
“I am convening this subcommittee hearing to expose how our youth are groomed, exploited and overlooked by the existing system,” Hawley said.
“Congress must dismantle the criminal networks that profit from exploiting the most vulnerable among us and put an end to child trafficking.”
