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Abstract
In 1996, the safety net for poor households with children fundamentally changed when
Federal legislation replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) with
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). This study investigates participation
in, and benefits received from, AFDC/TANF and food assistance programs, before and
after the legislation, for children in low-income households (income below 300 percent
of the Federal poverty line). The results show that, between 1990 and 2004, the share
of children receiving food stamp benefits declined, most notably among children in the
poorest households (income below 50 percent of the Federal poverty line). The share of
children receiving benefits from the school meals programs and the Special Supplemental
Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) rose, mainly among children
in low-income households with income above the Federal poverty line. Overall, the share
of children in households that received benefits from AFDC/TANF or food assistance
programs grew from 35 percent to 52 percent. However, the net result of these changes
is that average total inflation-adjusted household benefits from all programs examined
declined. The decline was largest among children in the poorest households.