A few thoughts on the welfare regs

Today HHS published regulations implementing the budget bill’s changes to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), aka "welfare."  I worked on them while I was at HHS, and my frustration with both the content and the process was a good part of what led me to jump ship.  It’s very strange to read them from the outside now.

We’re trying to get a draft of our preliminary analysis out to advocates who we work with by tomorrow.  So I was in the office at 7:15 this morning, left at 6:30, and will go online to work some more when I finish this up.  But I’m not complaining — I don’t mind working long hours occasionally, when there’s actually work to be done.  And it’s a lot more fun to spend all day writing when you get to say what you think.  I’m feeling pretty good about my decision to take this job.

I even get to talk to the press.  Yesterday, one of my colleagues called me and said "hey, Jason DeParle’s on the phone; can you talk to him about the regs?"  (No, I wasn’t using inappropriate insider knowledge — the regulations were on public display at the Federal Register’s office yesterday.)  I’m not sure I was at my most thoughtful and coherent, though; I was sufficiently impressed that I managed to accidentally turn on the speakerphone in my office, and I wasn’t sure how to turn it off without risking hanging up on him.

The short version is that overall, I think the regulations stink.  I mean, the welfare reauthorization was truly lousy lawmaking — it was tacked onto the budget bill in the middle of the night, with lawmakers desperate to go home, having no idea what they were voting for.  HHS only had limited flexibility to improve things in the regs.  But instead, they made things worse.  They made it harder for people on welfare to go to school, harder for states to help people who need services like substance abuse treatment or counseling.  And after all those years talking about state flexibility, it turns out, surprise surprise that the Republicans only believe in state flexibility when the states choose to do what they want them to.  Feh.

(There will be a polished version of what I’m working on up on my organization’s website in a couple of weeks.  If any of you are interested in reading all 25 pages of detailed analysis sooner, drop me a line and I’ll forward it to you when we have a sharable draft.)

3 Responses to “A few thoughts on the welfare regs”

  1. chip Says:

    sounds like a great move you’ve made! As for the regs, for some reason, disheartening as such changes are, it doesn’t surprise me in the least. They’re running HHS just the way they’re running everything else: in secret, centralizing power, and designing policy to be most harmful to the least powerful in society. I don’t know whether to grrrrr or to sigh…

  2. landismom Says:

    I couldn’t believe it when they actually made it harder for people to get real education while on welfare. I’ve had occasion to work with some of the local ‘job training’ agencies that are supposedly preparing people for jobs–and it’s pretty depressing. It’s not that good people don’t work in that industry–but what they are able to train people to do, and the kinds of jobs are preparing people for, are just not family-sustaining work. I’m glad you were able to find a way to use your specific knowledge for good.

  3. sam davis Says:

    ok so the goverment said i no longer have to pay for welfare whores to lay on there backs and get paid from my tax dollers!! what a shame! i work my ass off for the money you hand over to them! oh by the way i also pay you too! your fired your cry baby poverty pimp!

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