TANF Provisions in House Republicans’ Debt-Ceiling-and-Cuts Bill Would Harm Families and Deepen Poverty Among Children

Sharply curtailing cash assistance overall and shifting to less effective employment programs would cause disproportionate harm on some groups, especially women of color and their children, who due to issues stemming from structural racism and sexism endure higher poverty rates and are likelier to need cash benefits to afford basic needs. [...] Why TANF Matters to Children and Families Providing cash to families has an immediate positive impact: it helps them pay their rent and utilities, put food on the table, and purchase other necessities. [...] Providing cash to families reinforces their dignity by ensuring they can make decisions that best address their needs, and a growing body of evidence shows that providing cash assistance to families improves children’s educational and health outcomes, setting them up for future academic and economic success.4 Even relatively small amounts of income make a difference, research shows. [...] Housing Instability and Homelessness Research showing an association between cash assistance and declines in homelessness among families underscores the important role TANF can play in addressing family housing instability and homelessness.5 Monthly cash benefits and housing supplements provide families financial resources 4 Greg Duncan and Katherine Magnuson, “The Long Reach of Childhood Poverty,. [...] Losing Cash Assistance Can Have Serious Health Impacts When families don’t have access to cash assistance to pay their rent and utilities, serious and costly mental and physical health outcomes can result.