The 51st: Opinion: D.C. must restore TANF to pull more children out of poverty

Children’s Law Center CEO Judith Sandalow and United Planning Organization CEO Andrea Thomas wrote an op-ed in the 51st explaining planned changes to TANF and how those changes will push 15,000 children deeper into poverty.

Our city’s leaders have taken big strides to pull D.C. children out of poverty. Last year’s creation of a $1,000 Child Tax Credit and expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit were landmark steps that will give parents more resources to help their children thrive.

But there’s a major threshold that — if crossed — will reverse that progress: sweeping cuts to D.C.’s only cash assistance programs for families, TANF, or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Last year, Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed significant cuts to TANF. The council delayed them for the current budget year, but without further intervention, they will go into effect later this year. The planned changes to TANF will directly impact 15,000 children, pushing them deeper into poverty in an already fragile D.C. economy. Even more concerning, the cuts reverse commitments D.C. made a decade ago to protect children — this time without warning or rationale.

TANF provides modest but essential cash assistance to low-income families. Parents rely on it to cover rent, utilities, bus fare, diapers, school supplies, and other basics that noncash programs don’t cover. Many families who rely on TANF are parents who work in jobs that don’t pay enough to get by. Most families who benefit from TANF do not receive housing assistance, making this cash support even more critical.