Temporary Assistance for Needy Families: Implications of Caseload and Program Changes for Families and Program Monitoring

The TANF program, created in 1996, refocused the nation’s welfare system on promoting employment and self-sufficiency, and requiring states to meet work participation rates. This testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance provided on September 21, 2010 by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) focused on 1) key changes to state welfare programs made in response to TANF and other legislation and their effect on caseload trends; 2) how low-income single-parent families are faring; and 3) how recent developments in state programs and the economy may affect federal monitoring of TANF.