The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) in 1996 dramatically altered the welfare system in America. Since 1996, there has been a remarkable drop in the welfare rolls and some of the lowest unemployment in our nation's history.

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In the 1996 welfare reform legislation, Congress authorized funding for the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant through September 30, 2002. For the TANF program to continue after September 30, Congress must reauthorize its funding no later than that date.

The Reform Movement has always acted upon fundamental Jewish ideals by advocating for children, the poor, disenfranchised, the elderly, the sick, the disabled and the "stranger among us."