News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 23, 2004 |
Contact: ACF Press Office
(202) 401-9215
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Secretary Thompson Announces TANF Caseloads Declined in 2003
Eight Years After Reform, More Americans Achieving Self-Sufficiency
Eight years after the signing of the historic welfare reform law, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today that caseloads in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program dropped 3 percent for individuals and 1.8 percent for families during 2003.
Nearly 149,000 fewer people were relying on TANF benefits at the end of 2003 than at the end of 2002. As of December 2003, 4,864,905 individuals and 2,008,233 families were receiving TANF cash benefits. In December 2002, 5,013,728 individuals and 2,044,734 families were receiving TANF cash benefits.
"American families are improving their lives by leaving public assistance and entering the workforce," Secretary Thompson said. "Thanks to welfare reform, millions more children and families are self-sufficient today than they were 8 years ago."
"By encouraging work, while improving the economy and creating jobs, President Bush is continuing to reduce welfare dependency," said Wade F. Horn, Ph.D., assistant secretary for children and families. "It is vital that Congress complete work on his welfare reform initiative that will improve the lives of many more children and families."
The welfare reform law was enacted on Aug. 22, 1996. During that month, 12,242,125 individuals and 4,408,508 families were receiving welfare assistance. Since then, welfare rolls have dropped 60.3 percent for individuals and 54.4 percent for families.
The 1996 TANF law expired on Oct. 1, 2002, and is operating under an extension. President Bush's proposal to reauthorize TANF takes the next step in welfare reform by strengthening work requirements, providing the assistance families need to advance in their careers and granting states more flexibility to run successful programs.
To view this data, go to: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/TANF_data.htm.
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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last Revised: August 23, 2004
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