Welfare Reform: Monitoring Required State Spending Levels

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) proposed requirement mandating that states maintain their spending for needy families at a specified level in order to receive their full Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, focusing on whether: (1) the proposed regulations' guidance on which expenditures count for maintenance of effort (MOE) purposes is clear and consistent with the statute; and (2) adequate mechanisms are in place for HHS to determine whether states are complying with the MOE requirement.