Mike Carey

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding and for the opportunity to talk about some commonsense reforms to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.

For context, TANF is a bipartisan program that was created over 30 years ago to help struggling families get back on their feet. The program supports families with their immediate needs while promoting a path toward work and self-sufficiency. Taxpayers deserve to have confidence that their tax dollars are being used effectively and as intended.

This is what the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act actually does. It improves clarity about the integrity of funds, targets assistance to the most vulnerable, and confirms that funds are actually spent. That is what it does.

Without additional safeguards, TANF will remain vulnerable to bad actors. This not only harms the taxpayers but even more so the families who actually need the help.

Congressional Republicans are committed to preventing waste, fraud, and abuse. Ohioans' own Vice President JD Vance and the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud have the exact same goal. The changes proposed in H.R. 8872 will support both of these efforts.

Ultimately, the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act is about strengthening accountability. H.R. 8872 does not do this by imposing any cuts whatsoever. It doesn't impose any cuts whatsoever.

What this bill really does is ensure that more assistance is actually provided. It preserves the program's flexibility for States to utilize funds in ways that meet the needs of their communities while making sure that the resources are not wasted, misused, or diverted.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and its noncontroversial proposals to strengthen TANF for the future of our next generations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark Building Safety Month 2026 and to recognize the more than 60,000 members of the International Code Council (ICC) who are committed to recognizing that our growth and strength depend on the safety and essential role our homes. buildings and infrastructure play, both in everyday life and when disasters strike.

Building Safety Month is sponsored by the International Code Council and its partners to remind the public about the professionals who ensure buildings are safe, resilient, affordable, and livable.

The Code Council brings together local, state, and federal government stakeholders, as well as those from the private sector to develop model codes and standards that protect the occupants of the buildings in which we live, work, and play. Those standards are then implemented year-round by building safety officials, the fire service, architects, engineers, builders, and skilled tradespeople to ensure the safe construction and maintenance of buildings.

This year's Building Safety Month theme is ``Built to Last'' which seeks to remind the public to get involved and raise awareness about building safety on a personal, local, and global scale.

In late 2020, FEMA released its comprehensive ``Building Codes Saves'' report, which found that implementing modern building codes could save $600 billion in disaster-related spending by 2060. FEMA further confirmed a prior report by the National Institute of Building Sciences that found that adopting modern codes provides $11 in mitigation savings for every $1 invested.

Building codes and standards include important safeguards to protect the public from hurricanes, tornadoes, snow and ice storms, floods, and earthquakes.

As Americans rebuild following these events, we recognize and thank those who implement and enforce building codes for protecting lives, property, and businesses, and ultimately ensuring our communities are resilient to these events.

Mr. Speaker, please join me in thanking International Code Council Board President Mike Boso, the Chief Building and Zoning Official of Grove City, Ohio--a constituent I represent--as well as ICC's Chief Executive Officer John Belcik, the International Code Council leadership, and ICC's Members and staff as they recognize Building Safety Month 2026.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7432, the Fostering the Future Act, which is made up of six bipartisan bills that passed the Committee on Ways and Means last month.

These bills collectively modernize the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program from successful transition to adulthood and are part of First Lady Melania Trump's Fostering the Future initiative.

I led one of these bills with the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), my friend.

The Chafee Opportunities for New Network and Existing Connection Trust Act, or the CONNECT Act, clarifies the goal for supporting foster youth developing meaningful relationships with adults, including kin and peers, as well as building those supportive networks.

The CONNECT Act also empowers foster youth to take charge of their own permanency plans and ensures that foster youth understand in writing the suite of services that the programs are qualified for.

With this legislation, we are setting up the next generation of America's youth to transition to a more successful adulthood.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Smith, as well as our Ranking Member Neal, as well as Subcommittee on Work and Welfare Chairman LaHood and Ranking Member Davis for their

leadership on this. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation.