First Focus on Children submitted this written statement to the House Ways & Means Committee in regard to the recent hearing Welfare is Broken: Restoring Work Requirements to Lift Americans Out of Poverty urging committee members to pass reforms to improve TANF’s effectiveness at reducing child poverty and promoting family economic mobility.

Excerpt from the Testimony:

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is a children’s program. The vast majority — over 70 percent — of TANF recipients are children. TANF provides critical assistance to millions of children and families, but it falls short in promoting lasting economic mobility for recipients and fails to reach many kids in need. In 2019, for every 100 families in poverty, just 23 families received TANF assistance. About half of TANF caseloads are “child-only” caseloads, where children in the household can receive assistance even when a parent or caretaker is ineligible.

Read the full testimony