Federal Work Requirements and Welfare (TANF) Policy Reform Essay by Athena99

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) was the most dramatic change in American policy towards the poor since the New Deal. The federal government abolished welfare entitlements, instead instituting a system of block grants to the states called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Parents were obligated to find work within two years of their first receipt of welfare benefits and could not receive welfare benefits for more than five years total. This paper first examines why the current work requirements were included in the welfare reform legislation. Second, it considers the negative impact these work requirements have had on the poor. Finally, it offers an alternative that provides more flexibility for welfare recipients to gain self-sufficiency.