Learn

Welfare Reform

See Super-waiver, H.R. 4737.

"We believe that the super-waiver poses serious dangers to a broad cross-section of federal programs and the people they serve. The super-waiver would give sweeping authority to cabinet secretaries to eliminate congressional standards and requirements for federal programs." The impact of the super-waiver proposal would:

Represent a massive and unprecedented transfer of power from Congress to the executive branch and the governors…
Weaken congressional control over how federal dollars are spent…
Undermine important protections for federal program participants…

We urge you to oppose legislation containing this super-waiver proposal" (May 23, 2002, BFW Sign-On Letters 2001-Present).

Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF): Adjustments to TANF:

"We urge you to examine the many evaluations of TANF's first six years that are now available, to listen to the voices and experience of low-income families and the service providers who work with them, and to produce a five-year reauthorization of TANF that will truly lift these families out of poverty" (July 13, 2004, BFW Sign-On Letters 2001-Present).
"As you consider the reauthorization of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, we urge you to support the Snowe/Dodd child care amendment and the Jeffords/Levin education amendment. We also urge you to oppose any effort to expand the "superwaiver" and instead support the Bingaman amendment to extend the current TANF waiver structure to all states" (Letter to Senator, March 29, 2004, BFW Letters <not sign-on letters> 1998-Present)
"As the Senate Finance Committee prepares to mark up legislation to reauthorize the Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) program, we urge you to call for TANF reauthorization that seeks to reduce poverty as its primary goal. This goal is urgent in today's economy… (July 23, 2003, Letter to the Senate Finance Committee from Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs, BFW Letters 1998-present).
Reauthorization Issues: People trying to find sustainable work are sympathetic figures. They are not politically pilloried. That change in tone should encourage churches, political groups, advocacy institutions and individuals to push for improvements that will support people who are struggling to escape poverty. Poverty reduction should be the first goal of the new welfare bill. The states have competed to cut their rolls and to put people to work, facing penalties if they do not. Now they should receive incentives to compete to reduce poverty, facing penalties if they do not; Training and education should be the second goal…. The "work first" philosophy of most TANF programs has limited the opportunities for low-income people to receive the necessary skills to advance in the marketplace.

Many poor people who were in vocational or college programs before TANF had to drop out to take any available job. Only those low-income worker with two years' post-secondary or vocational training have a reasonable chance to escaping poverty;
Work supports, including childcare and transportation assistance, should be strengthened;
Flexible time limits should be the fourth goal. Families struggling to meet their basic needs should not be subjected to arbitrary time limits;
Full funding of TANF is essential. Budget allocations should not be cut below current levels; and other adjustments to make TANF a more effective weapon against poverty also should be considered.
Those capable of working…should be protected from destitution; all child support should go directly to the family;
and those leaving TANF should be helped to apply for Medicaid and food stamps (Hunger Report 2002, Pages 33 and 36)
Cross Reference: Food Stamps

Some low-income, non-married fathers need assistance to get and keep jobs to pay child support. This should be a part of each state's welfare plan (Hunger Report 2002, Page 28)
"we…urge you to support the Senate Finance committee's proposal for reauthorization of TANF. We believe that the Finance Committee's bill builds upon the successes of the current TANF program while making some essential improvements. We urge you to vote in September to reauthorize TANF for five years. We encourage you to affirm the Senate Finance Committee's bill, especially provisions that would:

maintain the current work requirement of 30 hours per week;
expand the list of acceptable education and training programs;
give states the option to count participation in vocational and post-secondary education as compliance with the work requirement…;
replace the current caseload reduction credit with an employment credit based on the number of families employed after leaving TANF…;
continue Transitional Medicaid for five years;
give states the option to provide TANF and Medicaid benefits for legal immigrants…;
allow states to provide supplemental housing benefits to low-income working families without triggering time-limit requirements and authorize a demonstration grant for housing with services for families with multiple barriers to work…;
permit states to exempt a small proportion of their caseload from work requirements in cases where caring for a disabled child makes it impossible for a parent to work…

Interreligious Working Group on Domestic Human Needs urges the senator to support the highest possible level of funding for child care in order to help protect and educate the nation's poorest children, and to support the Senate Finance's committee's TANF Reauthorization Bill, with increased funding for child care. (September 4, 2002, BFW Sign-On Letters 2001-Present).

Send suggestions or comments to Institute@bread.org