Peoria, Illinois – Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16) – Chairman of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Work and Welfare – had the opportunity to question United States Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the critical impact that House Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act will have for hardworking Americans.
LaHood, Secretary Bessent emphasize the importance of passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act:
Click here to watch Rep. LaHood and Secretary Bessent’s full exchange
“I think we predicate this bill on, how do we have predictability and certainty long-term in this economy,” said Rep. LaHood. “Those investments that are made by small, medium, and large companies, whether you’re a plumber in Peoria, Illinois, or a Fortune 100 company, you want predictability and certainty. As it has been alluded to earlier, if we do nothing and this bill doesn’t pass, you’re going to have $4.5 trillion in tax increases. If you think there’s uncertainty in the economy now, wait until that happens. There’s a lot of money and resources sitting on the sidelines waiting to be invested, but we need that predictability and certainty, and I would argue we do that in this bill.”
LaHood chairs Work and Welfare Subcommittee hearing to support foster youth:
On Thursday, Rep. LaHood chaired a House Ways and Means Work and Welfare Subcommittee hearing focused on modernizing the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood (Chafee) to better help foster youth transition from foster care into adulthood and the workforce.
Click here to watch Rep. LaHood’s opening remarks
“State underutilization of funds means that help is not getting to the youth who need it,” said Rep. LaHood. “[The Government Accountability Office] found administrative barriers and red tape make it difficult for states to draw down funds, and many youths don’t even know about the services available to them. In my home state of Illinois, only five percent of foster youth receive Chafee services at any point in their time in care. We also know that many federal programs that serve current and former foster youth are fragmented and disconnected, leaving youth to navigate a complex web of services.”
Background:
Young adults who “age out” of foster care at 18 experience high rates of homelessness and are less likely to graduate from high school, gain employment, or enroll in secondary education compared to their peers.
The Chafee program offers support to help current or former foster youth gain employment, obtain housing, and create meaningful connections with other adults to help them transition to independence, yet the program has remained largely unchanged since its creation in 1999.
This hearing follows the work by the Ways and Means Committee that led to the successful enactment of the Supporting America’s Children and Families Act. This law is a first-in-a-generation bipartisan reauthorization and reform of child welfare programs.
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