TANF and Race: CBPP Vision Series

The income Security team at CBPP has produced five papers that document TANF’s racist roots and provide policy options to move TANF in an anti-racist direction.

This overview report documents TANF’s racist history and provides a vision for an anti-racist cash assistance program using the Black Women’s Best framework. TANF Policies Reflect Racist Legacy of Cash Assistance | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (cbpp.org)

This report focuses on policy changes that need to be made to move TANF in an anti-racist direction. Cash Assistance Should Promote Equity | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (cbpp.org)

This report focuses on why increasing cash benefits is important for moving TANF in an ant-racist direction. Improvements in TANF Cash Benefits Needed to Undo the Legacy of Historical Racism | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (cbpp.org)

This report documents how TANF’s work requirements grew out of racist ideas and documents how states can use the flexibility they have to move TANF work programs in an anti-racist direction. States Have Flexibility to Move TANF Work Programs in an Antiracist Direction | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (cbpp.org)

This report documents the racist roots of TANF’s behavioral requirements and reproductive control measures. It provides policy recommendations for ending those requirements. Ending Behavioral Requirements and Reproductive Control Measures Would Move TANF in an Antiracist Direction | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (cbpp.org)

Additional CBPP resources:

Blog: Celebrate Black History Month by Making Policy Changes That Help Black Women Thrive | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (cbpp.org)

Infographic: Reimagining TANF to Center Black Families (cbpp.org)