How Does the New TANF Work Requirement "Work" in Rural Minority Communities? A Case Study of the Northern Cheyenne Nation
Abstract
In August of 1996 Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which President Bill Clinton then signed into law, "ending welfare as we know it." For the past thirty years emphasis on work and self-sufficiency has slowly replaced income supports in welfare policy.' Politicians assert that the new requirements, most notably the new time limits and work requirements have been a success.2 Others, however, are concerned by the social and economic implications of these new policies. Given the period of time that these policies have been in effect, we have the opportunity to review the assumptions on which PRWORA has been based and examine the practical consequences of the new welfare system.
This paper has been withdrawn.