When Maine children thrive, our families, communities and state thrive – we all benefit. This is why it is important to promote family economic security by creating an economy that works for everyone and supporting effective anti-poverty programs that help families permanently escape poverty. 
In other words, the TANF program did not even serve half of the number of children who needed it.
It is simply not responsible to make these dire cuts to TANF when it is already not reaching those in need. Instead of opening up opportunity for parents, and subsequently their children, the proposed budget cuts will close doors and trap these parents in the low wage job market without needed services like child care and transportation, unable to sustain employment and educational advancement. This is not a solution – it is making a tough situation even worse.
TANF is what helps keep these children from going without basic essentials.Programs like the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and other anti-poverty programs are important for reducing poverty. At its core, TANF, is intended to improve and protect the lives of Maine children. For children living in poverty, TANF fills the gaps and provide parents with the tools they need to get and maintain a job, heat their homes, pay their rent and put food on the table. Essentially, TANF is what helps keep these children from going without basic essentials, which is why the cuts in this proposed budget and in years past is particularly alarming. In 2011, TANF serve nearly 24,000 Maine children but by December of 2015 that number dropped to just over 9,000 Maine children. This drop should mean fewer Maine children are living in poverty or extreme poverty and therefore eligible for the program. In reality, the number of children living in extreme poverty (50 percent of the federal poverty level) has actually increased. In 2015, about 19,000 Maine children lived in extreme poverty meaning.
In other words, the TANF program did not even serve half of the number of children who needed it.
It is simply not responsible to make these dire cuts to TANF when it is already not reaching those in need. Instead of opening up opportunity for parents, and subsequently their children, the proposed budget cuts will close doors and trap these parents in the low wage job market without needed services like child care and transportation, unable to sustain employment and educational advancement. This is not a solution – it is making a tough situation even worse. Reforming the TANF program should involve improvements that make the program more effective in helping children and families permanently pull themselves out of poverty.As child and family advocates, the Maine Children’s Alliance opposes the proposed changes to TANF and other critical anti-poverty programs because they simply will not improve the lives of Maine children and families. In fact, they will likely drive more children into deeper poverty at a time when far too many Maine children are growing up in poverty. Maine’s success is incumbent upon the success of its children. If we want Maine children to thrive, we need to reduce the number of children living in poverty. This starts with supporting effective anti-poverty programs like TANF.