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Impact of the Federal Income Tax on Poverty: Before and After the 2017 Tax Revision ('TCJA'; P.L. 115-97) [October 17, 2019]
From the Introduction: "This report is structured to first provide a brief overview of the major federal income tax provisions that affect lower-income individuals and families, including a comparison of how these provisions changed under the TCJA [Tax Cuts and Jobs Act]. The report then provides an analysis of how the pre-TCJA federal income tax affected poverty, followed by a comparison of how the post-TCJA federal income tax affected poverty. The report concludes with some observations on the benefits and limitations of the federal income tax system and refundable tax credits in reducing poverty."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.; Falk, Gene; Carter, Jameson A.
2019-10-17
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COVID-19: The Potential Role of TANF in Addressing the Economic Effects [March 16, 2020]
From the Document: "The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides grants to the 50 states, District of Columbia, American Indian tribes, and certain territories with the broad purpose of ameliorating and addressing root causes of childhood economic disadvantage. Some of the flexibility the block grant affords to states has been used, and augmented by federal legislation, to address the fallout from Hurricane Katrina and the deep economic recession of 2007-2009. TANF is currently funded on a short-term basis, with funding set to expire on May 22, 2020."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2020-03-16
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COVID-19 and Direct Payments to Individuals: Historical Precedents [March 19, 2020]
From the Document: "Members of Congress and the Trump Administration have signaled their support for making direct payments to individuals to address the economic fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak. In current discussions, these payments are sometimes framed in terms of 'universal basic income' or UBI proposals. In the past when these proposals were made--and sometimes enacted--they were framed in terms of providing economic stimulus."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2020-03-19
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Introduction [April 2, 2013]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides grants to states, Indian tribes, and territories for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities that address economic disadvantage. TANF is best known for funding state cash welfare programs for low-income families with children. It was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, P.L. [Public Law] 104-193), replacing the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) cash welfare program and several related programs. However, in FY2011, cash welfare represented only 29% of TANF funds. TANF funds a wide range of activities that seek to both ameliorate the effects of and address the root causes of child poverty. In addition to state block grants, TANF includes competitive grants to fund healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood initiatives. This report provides a nontechnical introduction to the TANF block grant. It briefly describes [1] TANF financing; [2] how TANF funds may be used and are being used; [3] the TANF cash welfare programs; and [4] other TANF benefits, services, and activities."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2013-04-02
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [March 12, 2014]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2014-03-12
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [February 4, 2014]
"This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data. This report does not provide information on TANF program rules. For such information, see CRS Report RL32748, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements,' by Gene Falk. For a non-technical overview of TANF, see CRS Report R40946, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Introduction,' by Gene Falk."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2014-02-04
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements [January 27, 2014]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Indian tribes, and the territories for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities. It is best known for helping states pay for cash welfare for needy families with children, but it funds a wide array of additional activities. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. [Public Law] 104-193). Current law funds TANF through March 2013. TANF provides a basic block grant of $16.5 billion. It also requires states to contribute in the aggregate from their own funds at least $10.4 billion for benefits and services to needy families with children--this is known as the maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. States may use TANF and MOE funds in any manner 'reasonably calculated' to achieve TANF's statutory purpose. This purpose is to increase state flexibility to achieve four goals: (1) provide assistance to needy families with children so that they can live in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) end dependence of needy parents on government benefits through work, job preparation, and marriage; (3) reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) promote the formation and maintenance of two-parent families."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2014-01-27
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Characteristics of the Cash Assistance Caseload [August 21, 2013]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides states, territories, and Indian tribes with federal grants for benefits and services to ameliorate the effects, and address the root causes, of child poverty. It was created in the 1996 welfare reform law, and is most associated with policies such as time limits and work requirements that sought to address concerns about 'welfare dependency' of single mothers who received cash assistance. This report examines the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload in FY2010, and compares it with selected post-welfare reform years (FY2001 and FY2006) and pre-welfare reform years (FY1988 and FY1994). The size of the caseload first increased, from 3.7 million families per month in FY1988 to 5.0 million families per month in FY1994, and then declined dramatically to 2.2 million families in FY2001 and 1.9 million families in FY2010. Over this period, some of the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload have remained fairly stable, and other characteristics have changed."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2013-08-21
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [March 18, 2016]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF; it does not describe TANF rules."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2016-03-18
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements [December 14, 2017]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the territories, and American Indian tribes for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities. It is best known for helping states pay for cash welfare for needy families with children, but it funds a wide array of additional activities. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). At the federal level, TANF is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). TANF provides a basic block grant that totals $16.5 billion. It also requires states to contribute in the aggregate from their own funds at least $10.3 billion for benefits and services to needy families with children--this is known as the maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. TANF and MOE funds may be used in any manner 'reasonably calculated' to achieve TANF's statutory purpose. This purpose is to increase state flexibility to achieve four goals: (1) provide assistance to needy families with children so that they can live in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) end dependence of needy parents on government benefits through work, job preparation, and marriage; (3) reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) promote the formation and maintenance of two-parent families."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2017-12-14
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements [Updated April 23, 2007]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to states for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities. It is best known for helping states pay for cash welfare for needy families with children, but it funds a wide array of additional activities. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). TANF funding and program authority were extended through FY2010 by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA, P.L. 109-171). TANF provides a basic block grant of $16.5 billion to the 50 states and District of Columbia, and $0.1 billion to U.S. territories. Additionally, 17 states qualify for supplemental grants that total $319 million. TANF also requires states to contribute from their own funds at least $10.4 billion for benefits and services to needy families with children -- this is known as the maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. States may use TANF and MOE funds in any manner 'reasonably calculated' to achieve TANF's statutory purpose. This purpose is to increase state flexibility to achieve four goals: (1) provide assistance to needy families with children so that they can live in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) end dependence of needy parents on government benefits through work, job preparation, and marriage; (3) reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) promote the formation and maintenance of two-parent families."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2007-04-23
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [October 17, 2013]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF; it does not describe TANF rules. […] TANF provides fixed funding to states, the bulk of which is provided in a $16.5 billion-per-year basic federal block grant. States are also required in total to contribute, from their own funds, at least $10.4 billion under a maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. […] Though TANF is best known for funding cash assistance payments for needy families with children, the block grant and MOE funds are used for a wide variety of benefits and activities. In FY2012, expenditures on basic assistance (cash assistance) totaled $9.0 billion--28.6% of total federal TANF and MOE dollars. TANF also contributes funds for child care and services for children who have been, or are at risk of being, abused and neglected. […] A total of 1.8 million families, composed of 4.1 million recipients, received TANF- or MOE-funded cash in March 2013. The bulk of the 'recipients' were children--3.1 million in that month. The cash assistance caseload is very heterogeneous. The type of family historically thought of as the 'typical' cash assistance family--one with an unemployed adult recipient--accounted for less than half of all families on the rolls in FY2010. […] TANF cash benefits are set by states. In July 2011, the maximum monthly benefit for a family of three ranged from $923 in Alaska to $170 in Mississippi."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2013-10-17
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Categorical Eligibility [December 31, 2013]
"The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides benefits to low-income, eligible households on an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card; benefits can then be exchanged for foods at authorized retailers. SNAP reaches a large share of low-income households. In June 2013, there were 47.7 million persons in 23.1 million households benefitting from SNAP. Federal SNAP law provides two basic pathways for financial eligibility to the program: (1) meeting program-specific federal eligibility requirements; or (2) being automatically or 'categorically' eligible for SNAP based on being eligible for or receiving benefits from other specified low-income assistance programs. Categorical eligibility eliminated the requirement that households who already met financial eligibility rules in one specified low-income program go through another financial eligibility determination in SNAP. […] As of July 2013, 43 jurisdictions have implemented what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has called 'broad-based' categorical eligibility. These jurisdictions generally make all households with incomes below a state-determined income threshold eligible for SNAP. […] In all but five of these jurisdictions, there is no asset test required for SNAP eligibility. Categorically eligible families bypass the regular SNAP asset limits. However, their net incomes (income after deductions for expenses) must still be low enough to qualify for a SNAP benefit. That is, it is possible to be categorically eligible for SNAP but have net income too high to actually receive a benefit. The exception to this is one- or two-person households that would still receive the minimum benefit."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene; Aussenberg, Randy Alison
2013-12-31
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Introduction [October 23, 2013]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides grants to states, Indian tribes, and territories for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities that address economic and social disadvantage for families with children. TANF is best known for funding state cash welfare programs for needy families with children, and it was created in the 1996 welfare reform law. However, TANF is not synonymous with cash welfare. In FY2012, only 28.6% of federal and state TANF dollars were for cash welfare. TANF also funds child care; programs that address child abuse and neglect; various early childhood initiatives, including prekindergarten programs; earnings supplements for workers in low-income families; emergency and short-term aid; pregnancy prevention programs; responsible fatherhood programs; and initiatives to encourage healthy marriages. The bulk of federal TANF funding is in a fixed block grant, which has been set at $16.5 billion since FY1997. The basic block grant is not adjusted for inflation, or for changes in the circumstances of a state such as its cash welfare caseload, population, or number of children in poverty. States are also required to spend a specified minimum of $10.4 billion in state funds on TANF-related activities and populations. This amount also has not changed since FY1997. […] TANF is not a program per se, but a flexible funding stream used to provide a wide range of benefits and services that address the effects of, and the root causes of, disadvantage among families with children. TANF is currently funded through January 15, 2014."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2013-10-23
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements [November 6, 2012]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Indian tribes, and the territories for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities. It is best known for helping states pay for cash welfare for needy families with children, but it funds a wide array of additional activities. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. [Public Law] 104-193). Current law funds TANF through March 2013. TANF provides a basic block grant of $16.5 billion to the 50 states and District of Columbia, and $0.1 billion to U.S. territories. It also requires states to contribute in the aggregate from their own funds at least $10.4 billion for benefits and services to needy families with children--this is known as the maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. States may use TANF and MOE funds in any manner 'reasonably calculated' to achieve TANF's statutory purpose. This purpose is to increase state flexibility to achieve four goals: (1) provide assistance to needy families with children so that they can live in their own homes or the homes of relatives; (2) end dependence of needy parents on government benefits through work, job preparation, and marriage; (3) reduce out-of-wedlock pregnancies; and (4) promote the formation and maintenance of two-parent families."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2012-11-06
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Introduction [November 19, 2012]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides grants to states, Indian tribes, and territories for a wide range of benefits, services, and activities that address economic and social disadvantage for families with children. TANF is best known for funding state cash welfare programs for needy families with children, and it was created in the 1996 welfare reform law. However, TANF is not synonymous with cash welfare. In FY2011, only 29% of federal and state TANF dollars were for cash welfare. TANF also funds child care; programs that address child abuse and neglect; various early childhood initiatives, including prekindergarten programs; earnings supplements for workers in low-income families; emergency and short-term aid; pregnancy prevention programs; responsible fatherhood programs; and initiatives to encourage healthy marriages. […] TANF is not a program per se, but a flexible funding stream used to provide a wide range of benefits and services that address the effects of, and the root causes of, disadvantage among families with children. TANF is currently funded through March 2013. Decisions on extending TANF funding further will be made in the context of both the lingering effects of the 2007-2009 recession and longer trends that were evident even before the recession that showed an increasing percentage of children living in poverty and born into circumstances associated with economic disadvantage."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2012-11-19
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Size and Characteristics of the Cash Assistance Caseload [January 29, 2016]
From the Summary: "The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides states, territories, and Indian tribes with federal grants for benefits and services intended to ameliorate the effects, and address the root causes, of child poverty. It was created in the 1996 welfare reform law, and is most associated with policies such as time limits and work requirements that sought to address concerns about 'welfare dependency' of single mothers who received cash assistance. This report examines the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload in FY2013, and compares it with selected post-welfare reform years (FY2001 and FY2006) and pre-welfare reform years (FY1988 and FY1994). The size of the caseload first increased, from 3.7 million families per month in FY1988 to 5.0 million families per month in FY1994, and then declined to 2.2 million families in FY2001 and 1.7 million families in FY2013. Over this period, some of the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload have remained fairly stable, and other characteristics have changed."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2016-01-29
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Categorical Eligibility [February 2, 2016]
From the report summary: "The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides benefits to low-income, eligible households on an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card; benefits can then be exchanged for foods at authorized retailers. SNAP reaches a large share of low-income households. In FY2015, a monthly average of 45.8 million persons in 22.4 million households participated in SNAP. [...] As of December 2014, 42 jurisdictions have implemented what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has called 'broad-based' categorical eligibility. These jurisdictions generally make all households with incomes below a state-determined income threshold eligible for SNAP. States do this by providing households with a low-cost TANF [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families]-funded benefit or service such as a brochure or referral to an '800' number telephone hotline. There are varying income eligibility thresholds within states that convey 'broad-based' categorical eligibility, though no state has a gross income limit above 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. In all but five of these jurisdictions, there is no asset test required for SNAP eligibility. Categorically eligible families bypass the regular SNAP asset limits. However, their net incomes (income after deductions for expenses) must still be low enough to qualify for a SNAP benefit. That is, it is possible to be categorically eligible for SNAP but have net income too high to actually receive a benefit. The exception to this is one- or two-person households that would still receive the minimum benefit. The Agriculture Act of 2014 (the '2014 Farm Bill,' P.L. 113-79) made no changes to SNAP categorical eligibility rules. The House-passed version of the bill that became the 2014 Farm Bill would have eliminated broad-based categorical eligibility, but that change was not included in the conference agreement on the bill."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Aussenberg, Randy Alison; Falk, Gene
2016-02-02
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [July 9, 2015]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF; it does not describe TANF rules (see, instead, CRS Report RL32748, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements', by Gene Falk)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2015-07-09
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements [October 10, 2012]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides federal grants to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Indian tribes, and the territories for a wide range of benefits and activities. It is best known as the major source of funding for cash welfare for needy families with children. However, federal law allows TANF funds to be used for other benefits and services that provide economic help to low-income families with children and to support the goals of reducing out-of-wedlock pregnancies and promoting two-parent families. The TANF block grant was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). Current law funds TANF through March 2013. […] This report provides an overview of TANF financing and rules for state programs, describing federal TANF grants and state funds under a 'maintenance-of-effort' (MOE) requirement; how states may use federal TANF and state MOE funds to help achieve the purpose and goals of the TANF block grant; rules that apply to states when they use TANF or MOE funds to provide cash welfare to needy families with children; rules that apply to states when they use TANF or MOE funds for benefits and services other than cash welfare; certain accountability requirements that apply to states, including requirements that states submit plans and report data to the federal government; and provisions of TANF law not directly related to grants to states, such as competitive grants for promoting healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood, tribal TANF provisions, and research funds."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2012-10-10
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [October 2, 2012]
"This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data. This report does not provide information on TANF program rules. For such information, see CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report RL32748, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements', by Gene Falk. For a non-technical overview of TANF, see CRS Report R40946, 'The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant: An Introduction', by Gene Falk."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2012-10-02
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [October 2, 2013]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). This report responds to some frequently asked questions about TANF; it does not describe TANF rules (see, instead, CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report RL32748, The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements, by Gene Falk). TANF Funding. TANF provides fixed funding to states, the bulk of which is provided in a $16.5 billion-per-year basic federal block grant. States are required in total to contribute, from their own funds, at least $10.4 billion under a maintenance-of-effort (MOE) requirement. The bulk of federal TANF funding lapsed at the end of September 30, 2013. The pending continuing resolution (H.J.Res. 59) would fund TANF into FY2014. State Spending. Though TANF is best known for funding cash assistance payments for needy families with children, the block grant and MOE funds are used for a wide variety of benefits and activities. In FY2012, expenditures on basic assistance (cash assistance) totaled $9.0 billion-- 28.6% of total federal TANF and MOE dollars. TANF also contributes funds for child care and services for children who have been, or are at risk of being, abused and neglected."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2013-10-02
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Categorical Eligibility [September 20, 2013]
This report discusses the eligibility restrictions for recipients of food subsidies. "The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides benefits to low-income, eligible households on an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card; benefits can then be exchanged for foods at authorized retailers. […] Federal SNAP law provides two basic pathways for financial eligibility to the program: (1) meeting program-specific federal eligibility requirements; or (2) being automatically or 'categorically' eligible for SNAP based on being eligible for or receiving benefits from other specified low-income assistance programs. […] The omnibus 'farm bill' approved by the Senate on June 10, 2013 (S. 954), reauthorizes and makes certain changes to SNAP, but does not make changes affecting categorical eligibility. On the other hand, H.R. 3102 (the Nutrition Reform and Work Opportunity Act of 2013), which passed the House on September 19, 2013, would restrict SNAP categorical eligibility to only those households receiving need-tested 'cash' assistance (the traditional form of categorical eligibility), ending the state option to have 'broad-based' categorical eligibility."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Aussenberg, Randy Alison; Falk, Gene
2013-09-20
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [September 23, 2014]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant funds a wide range of benefits and services for low-income families with children. TANF was created in the 1996 welfare reform law (P.L. 104-193). […]This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data. This report does not provide information on TANF program rules."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2014-09-23
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: Responses to Frequently Asked Questions [Updated April 12, 2019]
From the Document: "This report provides responses to frequently asked questions about the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. It is intended to serve as a quick reference to provide easy access to information and data. Appendix B presents a series of tables with state-level data. This report does not provide information on TANF program rules (for a discussion of TANF rules, see CRS [Congressional Research Service] Report RL32748, The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Block Grant: A Primer on TANF Financing and Federal Requirements, by Gene Falk)."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2019-04-12
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TANF Emergency Contingency Fund [October 6, 2010]
"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) created a $5 billion Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to help states, Indian tribes, and the territories pay for additional economic aid to families during the current economic downturn. It was part of a package of tax and benefit program provisions aimed at stemming the decline in family incomes and purchasing power caused by increased unemployment. The ECF was a temporary fund for two years, FY2009 and FY2010, and expired on September 30, 2010. All of the available $5 billion was awarded by the fund's expiration date to states, tribes, and territories. [...] Though the economy grew in the last half of 2009 and the first half of 2010, unemployment remained high. Historically, the trends in cash welfare caseload have sometimes followed economic conditions, but sometimes not. After the 1990-1991 recession, welfare caseloads actually peaked in March 1994 before beginning their decline. President Obama's FY2011 budget proposed continuing emergency funds through FY2011. Thus far in 2010, the House has twice passed bills that included extensions to the ECF in 2010; proposals that included ECF extensions have also been before the Senate during the year but have not passed. Basic TANF funding was also scheduled to expire on September 30, 2010. TANF was extended through December 3, 2010, as part of a government-wide continuing resolution (P.L. 111-242), but the ECF was not extended. Congress did provide a $506 million appropriation for the TANF 'regular' contingency fund (created in the 1996 welfare law), which is currently the source of any additional federal TANF funds to meet additional costs associated with the lingering effects of the 2007-2009 recession."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2010-10-06
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TANF Emergency Contingency Fund [December 22, 2010]
"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) created a $5 billion Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to help states, Indian tribes, and the territories pay for additional economic aid to families during the current economic downturn. It was part of a package of tax and benefit program provisions aimed at stemming the decline in family incomes and purchasing power caused by increased unemployment. The ECF was a temporary fund for two years, FY2009 and FY2010, and expired on September 30, 2010. All of the available $5 billion was awarded by the fund's expiration date to states, tribes, and territories. Though the economy grew in the last half of 2009 and the first three quarters of 2010, unemployment remained high. Historically, the trend in the cash welfare caseload has sometimes followed economic conditions, but sometimes not. After the 1990-1991 recession, welfare caseloads actually peaked in March 1994 before beginning their decline. The 111th Congress considered legislation in 2010 to extend the ECF beyond September 30, 2010. However, though the House twice passed bills to extend the ECF, none of these measures received Senate approval. A provision of the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-291) extended the basic TANF program through the end of FY2011 without the ECF."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2010-12-22
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TANF Emergency Contingency Fund [September 20, 2010]
"The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA; P.L. 111-5) created a $5 billion Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) within the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant to help states, Indian tribes, and the territories pay for additional economic aid to families during the current economic downturn. It was part of a package of tax and benefit program provisions aimed at stemming the decline in family incomes and purchasing power caused by increased unemployment. The ECF is a temporary fund for two years, FY2009 and FY2010, and thus is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2010. On August 31, 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that the full $5 billion in the fund will be used by the states, tribes, and territories by the end of FY2010. TANF is best known for funding cash welfare payments for low-income families, but it actually provides funds for a wide range of benefits and services to ameliorate the effects of, or address the root causes of, economic disadvantage among families with children. While TANF funds a wide range of both economic aid and human services to families with children, the ECF is limited to funding three categories of expenditures: basic assistance, a category that most closely resembles traditional cash welfare; non-recurrent short-term (e.g., emergency) aid; and subsidized employment."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2010-09-20
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Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF): Size and Characteristics of the Cash Assistance Caseload [August 5, 2014]
"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant provides states, territories, and Indian tribes with federal grants for benefits and services intended to ameliorate the effects, and address the root causes, of child poverty. It was created in the 1996 welfare reform law, and is most associated with policies such as time limits and work requirements that sought to address concerns about 'welfare dependency' of single mothers who received cash assistance. This report examines the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload in FY2011, and compares it with selected post-welfare reform years (FY2001 and FY2006) and pre-welfare reform years (FY1988 and FY1994). The size of the caseload first increased, from 3.7 million families per month in FY1988 to 5.0 million families per month in FY1994, and then declined dramatically to 2.2 million families in FY2001 and 1.9 million families in FY2011. Over this period, some of the characteristics of the TANF cash assistance caseload have remained fairly stable, and other characteristics have changed. Most cash assistance families are small; 51.2% of all TANF cash assistance families in FY2011 had one child. Cash assistance families also frequently have young children; 58.5% in FY2011 had a pre-school-aged child. The majority of the cash assistance caseload has also been composed of racial and ethnic minorities. By FY2011, the largest racial/ethnic group of TANF cash assistance children was Hispanic. In that year, of all TANF assistance child recipients, 34.4% were Hispanic, 32.5% were African-American, and 25.5% were non-Hispanic white. The growth in Hispanic children as a percent of all TANF assistance children is due entirely to their population growth--not an increase in the rate at which Hispanic children receive TANF."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Falk, Gene
2014-08-05
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Categorical Eligibility [March 10, 2014]
"The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides benefits to low-income, eligible households on an electronic benefit transfer (EBT) card; benefits can then be exchanged for foods at authorized retailers. SNAP reaches a large share of low-income households. In FY2013, a monthly average of 47.6 million person s in 23.1 million households benefitted [sic] from SNAP. Federal SNAP law provides two basic pathways for financial eligibility to the program: (1) meeting program-specific federal eligibility requirements; or (2) being automatically or 'categorically' eligible for SNAP based on being eligible for or receiving benefits from other specified low-income assistance programs. Categorical eligibility eliminated the requirement that households who already met financial eligibility rules in one specified low-income program go through another financial eligibility determination in SNAP. [...] As of July 2013, 43 jurisdictions have implemented what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has called 'broad-based' categorical eligibility. These jurisdictions generally make all households with incomes below a state-determined income threshold eligible for SNAP. [...] In all but five of these jurisdictions, there is no asset test required for SNAP eligibility. Categorically eligible families bypass the regular SNAP asset limits. However, their net incomes (income after deductions for expenses) must still be low enough to qualify for a SNAP benefit. That is, it is possible to be categorically eligible for SNAP but have net income too high to actually receive a benefit. The exception to this is one- or two-person households that would still receive the minimum benefit."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Aussenberg, Randy Alison; Falk, Gene
2014-03-10
