Maine’s Government Oversight Committee has unanimously endorsed a watchdog agency’s report on the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, or TANF. The program was under scrutiny after enrollment dropped by 70 percent in recent years.
Members of the oversight committee questioned acting DHHS Commissioner Bethany Hamm about changes in TANF that have tightened eligibility, accrued program savings and changed how funds are spent. Hamm told lawmakers that TANF funds support a variety of safety net programs, including heating assistance and job training.
“And we’ve also invested a lot of the TANF dollars in youth who are at risk, and I think that’s some of the most understated work that we have done,” she says.
The report from the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability concluded that Maine’s TANF program is operating within federal requirements, but should have more transparency.