Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act Ends Federal Welfare Guarantee

President Clinton signed the welfare reform law replacing AFDC with TANF block grants, imposing five-year lifetime limits and work requirements. Black families represented 37% of AFDC recipients; researchers documented disproportionate cuts in states with larger Black populations. Critics including Marian Wright Edelman resigned in protest. Within five years, 2.2 million families lost cash assistance nationally.