Update, November 13: We’ve updated this post to incorporate revised data the Census Bureau released in October.
Economic hardship would be far more pervasive without key anti-poverty programs, Census data released today show, with programs like SNAP (food stamps), the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Tax Credit, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) keeping millions...
As Labor Day approaches, now’s a good time to remember that most recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits are workers who turn to TANF when the low-wage labor market fails them: they don’t get enough hours, they...
We can all agree that Black children should have the same opportunity to thrive as their white peers. However, choices that some states have made in their TANF programs can limit Black children’s access to the same opportunity.
State and federal policymakers should act to ensure that TANF funds better target assistance to needy families.
State and federal policymakers need to do more to strengthen TANF and help these parents and their children afford the basics.
In replacing the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant 23 years ago, policymakers promised all families living in poverty a better economic future by providing temporary financial support, along with job preparation and work support. TANF has fallen far short in fulfilling this promise, particularly in...
TANF cash assistance can help to both meet short-term needs and provide children with lasting positive impacts, but it reaches very few families in poverty.
Massachusetts is the latest state to repeal the “family cap,” a policy rooted in racist stereotypes that denies...
SNAP’s harsh three-month limit on food assistance, which the Administration wants to make even harsher, reflects the idea that taking food away from jobless adults will lead them to work or earn more. But repeated studies, including a new report from the nonprofit consulting firm ideas42,...
