AFDC remained relatively intact for about 60 years until the Personal Responsibility and Work Reconciliation Opportunity act of 1996 was passed by a Republican controlled Congress and signed by a centrist Democratic President in August of that year. The long interval between its passage and repeal can be attributed to the difficulty of reforming entitlement programs. Republicans had long railed against handouts that encourage poor women to have more children and discourage marriage . Completely abolishing the program was highly improbable despite the desire of some on the right to do so for the simple reason that this would have allowed political opponents in election to make the onerous claim that the participating congressperson did not care about poor children . To be politically feasible, something had to replace the old form of welfare, and a form of assistance that was, in the words of the GOP leadership, a hand up to replace a handout was decided upon.
Some analysts believe that the timing of the bill had much to do with it.
Clinton was up for re-election in November and had to worry that his opponent, Senator Robert Dole, would use his broken promise and two vetoes against him in the more conservative political climate that had seen the election of a Republican Congress. In signing this Act he both took credit for solving an issue, namely welfare reform, that was usually considered a Republican issue and also deprived his opponent of a rhetorical weapon that could be used against him. Eligibility Stemming from its roots in the Depression, eligibility was limited to families with children in need of support because of absence, incapacity, death or unemployment of primary wage earner. Benefits Simple check with benefits based on family size, e.g. more children, more money. No federal requirements for employment or job training.