Income Security

TANF in the States Federal TANF Policy TANF Work Programs

Report

Cash Assistance Should Promote Equity

August 4, 2021 | Liz Schott, Ife Floyd and LaDonna Pavetti, Ph.D.

TANF falls far short of what it should be. It reaches few families in need and provides inadequate cash aid and other assistance to help families resolve crises and improve their well-being.

TANF Policies Reflect Racist Legacy of Cash Assistance

August 4, 2021

Chart Book

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) at 26

August 4, 2022

Report

Deep Poverty Among Children Rose in TANF’s First Decade, Then Fell as Other Programs Strengthened

February 27, 2020

Report

TANF Cash Assistance Should Reach Millions More Families to Lessen Hardship

February 18, 2022 | Aditi Shrivastava and Gina Azito Thompson

Policy Basics

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

March 1, 2022

New on this Topic

Testimony

The Nation Has Made Progress Against Poverty But Policy Advances Are Needed to Reduce Still-High Hardship

July 28, 2022

Report

Improvements in TANF Cash Benefits Needed to Undo the Legacy of Historical Racism

January 26, 2022

Report

TANF Cash Assistance Helps Families, But Program Is Not the Success Some Claim

August 2, 2021

Blog

Pandemic Emergency Fund Would Help Families With Lowest Incomes

February 10, 2021

Report

Research Note: 1990s Cash Assistance Policy Changes Associated With Negative Social Behaviors for Adolescents, Particularly Boys

June 19, 2019

Blog

Rigid “Universal Engagement” TANF Bills Would Hurt Vulnerable Families

April 1, 2019

Policy Basics

President Clinton and Congress created Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in 1996 in an effort to “end welfare as we know it.”

TANF reaches many fewer families than it used to, and states are increasingly using federal and state TANF dollars for programs and services that do not target the families with the lowest incomes. Also, TANF benefits have lost a fifth of their value since 1996 in most states. We analyze how federal TANF policies affect states and explore ways that federal policymakers can improve the program to better serve families in poverty.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

View All Policy Basics

The Nation Has Made Progress Against Poverty But Policy Advances Are Needed to Reduce Still-High Hardship

Chairman Himes, Ranking Member Steil, and members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify. I am Sharon Parrott, President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,...

Improvements in TANF Cash Benefits Needed to Undo the Legacy of Historical Racism

Adequate cash assistance is essential to help families maintain stability and to support children’s healthy development, especially when families with low incomes experience a job loss or other...

Cash Assistance Should Promote Equity

TANF falls far short of what it should be. It reaches few families in need and provides inadequate cash aid and other assistance to help families resolve crises and improve their...

TANF Policies Reflect Racist Legacy of Cash Assistance

Economic security programs can help families meet basic needs and improve their lives, but design features influenced by anti-Black racism and sexism have created an inadequate system of support that...

TANF Cash Assistance Helps Families, But Program Is Not the Success Some Claim

Just 23 of every 100 families with incomes below the federal poverty line receive TANF benefits, down from 68 families upon the program’s creation 25 years ago....

Pandemic Emergency Fund Would Help Families With Lowest Incomes

The House Ways and Means Committee’s new COVID-19 relief proposals include a new $1 billion Pandemic Emergency Fund for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The new...

Research Note: 1990s Cash Assistance Policy Changes Associated With Negative Social Behaviors for Adolescents, Particularly Boys

These behavioral effects may have hindered the adolescents’ well-being, health outcomes, and socioeconomic trajectories as they transitioned into...

Rigid “Universal Engagement” TANF Bills Would Hurt Vulnerable Families

Companion bills from House and Senate Republicans to reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, which is set to expire June 30, would make it harder for states...

TANF at 22: Cash Income Is Vital to Families Living on the Edge

For the millions of Americans struggling to afford the basics — such as food, medicine, and shelter — cash income is essential to averting extreme hardship and deprivation. Government economic...

Potential Changes to House TANF Bill’s “Universal Engagement” Approach Would Discourage States From Helping Those With Greatest Needs

Under the bill, all TANF “work-eligible individuals” would receive an assessment and an individualized opportunity plan setting forth their required work activities and hours of...

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