Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
（重定向自Temporary Assistance to Needy Families）
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![President Bill Clinton signing welfare reform legislation.](/Images/godic/202502/15/Clinton_prwora0023.PNG")
![Evolution of monthly AFDC and TANF benefits in the USA (in 2006 dollars)[20]](/Images/godic/202502/15/Welfare_Benefits_Payments_Graph0023.gif")
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF /ˈtænᵻf/) is one of the United States of America's federal assistance programs. It began on July 1, 1997, and succeeded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, providing cash assistance to indigent American families with dependent children through the United States Department of Health and Human Services. This cash benefit is often referred to simply as "welfare".