WASHINGTON, D.C. – Critical taxpayer dollars will be directed to those most in need of assistance and more American families will realize the dignity of work and be lifted out of poverty under legislation recently introduced by Ways and Means Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman Darin LaHood (IL-16) and Senator Steve Daines (R-MT). The Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services (JOBS) for Success Act (H.R. 3156) includes a series of policy proposals – reflecting the work of numerous members of the Ways and Means Committee – to reform and reauthorize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and specifically reclaim non-assistance TANF dollars to ensure they are focused on helping low-income families move from government dependence to economic independence through work. TANF non-assistance represents 78 percent of federal TANF spending, covering social service activities other than direct cash assistance.
“Modernizing our nation’s welfare programs remains a top priority of the Ways and Means Committee,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08). “Our efforts are to focus on the needs of low-income families and holding accountable a bureaucracy that too often fails those it is meant to serve. Thanks to the collaborative work of our members – under the leadership of Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman LaHood – we are taking important steps toward a reauthorization of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to ensure it directs critical resources toward those who are truly in need of assistance and helps lift more Americans out of poverty through work. The reforms provided for in the JOBS for Success Act will bring much needed transparency and accountability to TANF and protect against the waste, fraud, and abuse of American tax dollars so that resources are targeted toward solutions that help more Americans achieve economic independence and realize the dignity of work.”
“It is time for Congress to modernize the TANF program to protect against fraud and ensure that the program is assisting our most vulnerable individuals and families,” said Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman LaHood (IL-16). “It is clear that the lack of guardrails makes the system ripe for abuse. I was proud to introduce the JOBS for Success Act alongside Senator Daines to ensure TANF funds are being used to remove barriers to work and help individuals realize their full potential.”
“Nobody wants to depend on the government’s help, and this bill is a crucial step in modernizing the TANF program to ensure that we’re helping families escape the cycle of poverty and equipping them for self-sufficiency,” said Senator Daines (R-MT). “By promoting work ethic and responsibility, we can cut straight to the root causes of economic disadvantage and child poverty, and our families will be far better off.”
Introduction of the JOBS for Success Act follows a Ways and Means Work and Welfare Subcommittee hearing held last month examining the findings of the Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) ongoing review and reporting on the TANF program, during which experts testified to a lack of basic financial guardrails that create a ripe environment for waste, fraud, and abuse within the non-assistance side of TANF. In response to a request from Ways and Means Committee Chairman Smith and Work and Welfare Subcommittee Chairman LaHood, the GAO has been conducting an investigation into the use of TANF funds, releasing several reports already on the need for improved oversight amid a lack of data on outcomes and performance within the program.
Click here for a one-pager on Member bills and policy proposals to improve the TANF program.
READ: Three Key Moments: Hearing on Government Watchdog Findings and Need for TANF Reform
READ: Congressional Watchdog Reports Underscore Need for Ongoing TANF Oversight and Reform