Smith, LaHood Call on Government Watchdog to Investigate Uses of TANF Funds

Press Release

"Recently, concerns have emerged that TANF non-assistance funds, which make up about 78 percent of combined federal and state spending, lack guardrails and are not focused on helping people transition from welfare to work. On July 12, 2023, the House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, held a hearing on: "Where is all the Welfare Money Going? Reclaiming TANF Non-Assistance Dollars to Lift Americans Out of Poverty.' At this hearing, Members heard from witnesses about problems in current law that open the door for diversion of funds away from TANF's core purposes and creates an environment ripe for waste, fraud, and abuse.

The Committee's concerns are exemplified by headlines in Mississippi. Mississippi's State Auditor, Shad White, has flagged at least $77 million in misused funds from the state's TANF program from 2017 to 2020, resulting in charges against multiple state officials. At the July 12 hearing, Mr. White testified how critical welfare dollars were used for advertising at a college bowl game, provided to celebrities where no work product was delivered, paid family members of government officials, paid for down payments on homes, iPads for personal use, speeding tickets, and used to rent a field for a private travel softball team. We are concerned that the Mississippi case is emblematic of a systemic problem."

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