Thirty years ago, President Bill Clinton made a significant policy change by signing the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. This legislation marked an end to the traditional welfare system in the United States.
The act effectively ended the federal government’s significant role in providing income support to women and children in poverty. It eliminated the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, which had been in place since President Franklin D. Roosevelt introduced it in 1935.
The new system introduced block grants, imposed time limits, and established work requirements for welfare recipients. This marked a fundamental shift in how social support was structured and delivered in the country.
Since then, Republicans have turned their focus toward other aspects of the social safety net, looking at additional reforms and policy changes.
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