Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

08/27/2026

TANF turns 30 this month. Explore our latest analyses on what three decades of the program have meant for families with very low incomes, and the lessons policymakers should carry forward.

Every family in our nation should be able to afford their basic needs and have a foundation of financial stability that can lead to long-term opportunity for parents and children. But TANF has not delivered on this promise for very low-income families with children. Black children have been particul...

08/27/2026

Over the past 30 years, federal and state policy choices have steadily eroded TANF, leaving fewer families with access to adequate cash assistance when they need it. TANF’s policies and structure must shift in order to rebuild a stronger, more equitable program.

TANF is the main program that provides cash support for families with the lowest incomes, and it has failed to provide that support to many families who need it and to move families to economic security.

08/25/2026

Thirty years of evidence show TANF's policies have reduced access to cash assistance, deepened poverty, and failed to promote stable employment. Policymakers must learn from this record rather than repeat TANF's harmful approaches in other programs.

TANF’s block grant structure to states, federal policies that take away cash assistance if a parent doesn’t meet a harsh work requirement, and broad flexibility for states to use TANF funds for a range of purposes other than cash assistance have left many families experiencing poverty without a ...

08/24/2026

August is National Breastfeeding Month, and data show that a growing share of WIC participants are breastfeeding.

Ashley Blair is a lived experience consultant who knows firsthand how important WIC’s breastfeeding support services are to parents hoping to provide the best nutrition for their children.

08/24/2026

Arkansas enacted another income tax cut that primarily benefits the state's highest-income households, even as communities face growing health care challenges and mounting fiscal pressures

August 24, 2026: In May, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the state’s fourth income tax cut in four years, continuing a march toward her stated goal of complete elimination of Arkansas’s income tax.

08/07/2026

This week at CBPP, we focused on food assistance, health, income security, climate, state budgets and taxes, and the economy: https://www.cbpp.org/blog/in-case-you-missed-it-804

08/07/2026

As state budgets tighten, some lawmakers are beginning to scale back costly tax subsidies for data centers. But more work is needed to protect revenue for essential public services. More from Rachel Jacobson:

In this year’s state legislative sessions, some states sought to end subsidies for data centers.

08/07/2026

The labor market has remained steady in 2026, yet people are still struggling to find work. CBPP's Gbenga Ajilore explains why, and provides other insights and analysis on July's jobs report.

08/06/2026

Thirty years after its creation, TANF has weakened direct cash assistance and failed to move families toward economic stability. Policymakers should learn from its shortcomings, not use it as a model for other programs. Ife Finch Floyd explains why:

Thirty years after its creation, TANF has weakened direct cash assi...

08/06/2026

Four years after the Inflation Reduction Act became law, its investments continue to expand clean energy, lower families' energy costs, and support communities across the country despite efforts to roll them back.

The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was one of the most significant climate laws in U.S. history. The IRA created and expanded clean energy tax incentives and established new programs for wind and...