Ten states have 24 month limits. Federal law requires adults to work within two years of receiving cash assistance, but several states have adopted stricter work requirements. Florida, Tennessee, and Texas expect adult welfare recipients to go to work immediately. And at least 19 states do not increase payments for women who have additional children while receiving public assistance. It is an order to recipients, a philosophy for administrators, and a mandate under Federal law.
Welfare reform is big on personal responsibility but short on work opportunities.
Minimum wage jobs coupled with a severe shortage of subsidized child care make working impossible for many recipients. Many cities have actually lost jobs over the past five to ten years. Since 1990 New York City, with more than 300,000 adults in the AFDC case load, lost 227,000 jobs. Many remaining jobs do not pay enough to support a family. The odds against a typical welfare recipient finding a job that pays a living wage are about 97 to 1 in the midwestern states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin.