The federal government, through New Deal legislation in the 1930s, put in place a program that provided subsidies to state and local governments to provide economic support to the very poor. This program, colloquially referred to as welfare, was known until recently as the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program.

The AFDC, which actually dated to the 1910s and was implemented by most states, was originally intended to be a program to help widowed mothers and mothers whose husbands had left them. In its early years, the program was very small, and fairly successful. The AFDC program was replaced in 1996 by the TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) program, which is run by the states who must follow federal guidelines.

There are a number of restrictions on TANF benefits; for example, adults cannot receive TANF benefits for more...