Families across the country continue to face high levels of unemployment and in some cases dire financial need. Fortunately, The TANF Emergency Fund has allowed states to provide more direct cash assistance to struggling families and increase the number of subsidized jobs available for low-income workers. But this critical resource is scheduled to expire on September 30 of this year.

President Obama in his FY 2011 budget proposed extending the TANF Emergency Fund until September 30, 2010.  So far, the proposed extension has not received its due in Congress. Although an amendment to pending jobs legislation that would have extended the TANF Emergency Fund received support from a majority of the Senate, the measure was defeated March 9 due to a procedural hurdle.  But there still is another opportunity to extend the Emergency Fund.

The House is currently finalizing its jobs bill and has shown some willingness to include the TANF Emergency Fund extension.  Ideally, the House jobs bill would include recommendations in the president's budget proposal that extend the TANF Emergency Fund for a full year (until September 30, 2011) and provide an additional $2.5 billion in funding for the extension.  

Already, 90 represntatives have declared their support for the TANF Emergency Fund by co-sponsoring a stand-alone bill introduced by Representative Jim McDermott, chair of the Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee. These and other representatives should support including the TANF Emergency Fund extension in the pending jobs bill.  Contact your representatives and tell them to support including the TANF Emergency Fund extension in the House jobs bill.  The window to get the extension into the jobs bill likely closes very soon, so act now!

View CLASP's resources on the TANF Emergency Fund.