The federal government denied a request by the state to restrict cash aid as part of the state’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) welfare program, the D-G reports

Nearly 10,000 Arkansas families receive TANF aid, which goes to extremely poor pregnant women and families with dependent children. The request for a waiver of federal rules by the state Department of Workforce Services would have placed restrictions on cash withdrawals from electronic benefit cards. The waiver request was mandated by the legislature earlier this year (Democrats opposed the change). 

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The D-G quotes from the letter of response from the federal Department of Health and Human Services: “Congress was clear that TANF recipients should have adequate access to their cash assistance, and [the Office of Family Assistance] will not be granting waivers of these provisions.”

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