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Welfare Reform at 20: How We Continue TANF’s Success

August 17, 2016

As the 20th anniversary of welfare reform approaches, the Ways and Means Committee is taking a look back so we can apply the same successful lessons to help more low-income Americans escape poverty and climb the economic ladder.

Yesterday, we highlighted how reforming the nation’s cash welfare program in 1996 led more single parents with children to find a job, earn a paycheck, and provide for his or her family. Ways and Means Republicans are committed to continuing the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program’s record of success so even more low-income families can get the help they need to live the American Dream.

Earlier this year, the Committee made progress toward the program’s first major reauthorization in ten years by passing six targeted bills to strengthen the program and ensure it continues to effectively serve more families.

WM_Post_HR-real-results_TW_5.10

These proposals include:

As Ways and Means Committee Chairman Brady said:

“Taken together, these bills will begin to strengthen the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, reduce poverty, and improve the lives of low-income families … 

“[these proposals are] also a way for us to jumpstart the conversation around welfare and enacting more successful, 21st Century solutions that reward work and spring Americans from the poverty traps that can hold them back.”

TANF is an important program that can continue to deliver meaningful results for low-income families, but it is only one of the more than 80 anti-poverty programs funded in part by the federal government. In order to ensure our nation’s entire welfare system is improving Americans’ lives and empowering them to succeed, Congress must act. Check back tomorrow to learn more about how Ways and Means Republicans are leading this effort.

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