Written Comments in Response to House Committee on Ways and Means Hearing on Reforming Temporary Assistance for Needy Families

This Urban Institute resource follows the House Committee on Ways and Means Hearing on Reforming Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): States’ Misuse of Welfare Funds Leaves Poor Families Behind, held in September 2024. The resource explains that using TANF funds for activities seemingly unrelated to the program’s core goals, even if technically legal, undermines the integrity of TANF. The resource also provides supporting evidence that parents with low incomes have intrinsic motivations for employment, that TANF work requirements can be counterproductive, and that shifting TANF funding to the broader workforce development system could leave recipient families behind. The resource offers evidence-based recommendations on how access to and accountability for TANF block grant funds can better ensure the program supports employment and children in need.