Strengthening Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

This series of reports draws on lessons from the quarter century since Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was introduced to detail how the program could better assist families in or at risk of poverty during the COVID-19-induced recession and any future economic downturns.

The first report focuses on what Congress should have done at the federal level to address immediate needs during the pandemic and recession. The second report and its accompanying fact sheet concentrate on actions that should have been taken at the state and local levels, particularly in the absence of significant federal action. The third and final report discusses how TANF would be more effective and responsive to economic crises as an anti-poverty aid program if it were turned into an automatic stabilizer.