A program of block grants to states to help them meet the needs of poor families. Created by the 1996 Welfare Reform Law, it replaced Aid for Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and other preceding federal welfare programs, and reassigned fiscal and regulatory responsibility from the federal government to state and local governments. Because of TANF-imposed time limits, states try to place recipients in jobs as quickly as possible, often using program funds to pay for transportation, child care and other barriers to workforce participation.