HHS: states transfer $1 billion from TANF into block grant.(Temporary Assistance for Needy...

Almost $1 billion of the $2.6 billion states spent on the Social Services Block Grant in 2002 came from funding transferred from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, new government data show.

The 1996 welfare reform law gave states the flexibility to transfer 10 percent of TANF funds into SSBG, which in itself is a flexible pot of money for states to spend on programs for low-income children and families. Without the transfers, states would receive only the $1.7 billion guaranteed annually by Congress for SSBG.

SSBG funding provide