Welfare Reform and American Indian Tribes

American Indian tribes have new options under the 1996 Welfare Reform legislation that created Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a block grant enacted to replace the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). TANF, which expires in September of this year, provides cash assistance to poor families with children, including poor American Indian Families, and gives tribes the option to design and administer their own family assistance programs following approval of the plan by the Department of Health and Human Services. As Congress considers TANF reauthorization, three new publications prepared for the Kaiser Family Foundation provide insight into the opportunities presented by the tribal TANF option as well as challenges to its effective implementation.

• Fact Sheet: American Indian Families and Tribes: Key Issues in Welfare Reform Reauthorization
• Report: Critical Decisions for the Future of Indian Families: Case Studies
• Issue Brief: Welfare Reform Reauthorization in 2002: What Are the Issues For Tribal Communities and Indian Families?