Understanding Welfare Spending in Pennsylvania

Periodically, some state lawmakers have launched an assault on a range of welfare-related programs that provide essential health, nutrition, and other safety-net services to some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents, including children, older, and disabled Pennsylvanians.  They have asserted that welfare caseloads are on the rise and that spending on such programs is high and growing and, in response, have promoted a series of harsh new policies that could severely restrict access to these services.

The reality of welfare and welfare spending in Pennsylvania is remarkably different than the characterization of these critics.  Caseloads for cash grants through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program are down considerably, as is program spending. The Commonwealth is meeting federally mandated workforce participation rates for TANF recipients, all of whom are single mothers with children.

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