A Time of Radical Change

The summer of 1996 brought about profound and controversial changes in the way America handles its welfare programs. Much criticism had been directed toward the previous welfare system, based mainly on Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). This criticism centered on claims that the system produced welfare dependency rather than temporary assistance to help recipients move into a job and off welfare. According to the testimony of LaDonna Pavetti of the Urban Institute before the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee in May 1996, about 70 percent of AFDC recipients had received AFDC for more than twenty-four months and 48 percent had received assistance for more than sixty months. In addition to limiting the length of time spent on welfare and requiring participation in work activities, issues addressed under welfare reform included child care, child support, teen pregnancy, assistance...