By Oct. 1, the states are expected to have 75% of the two-parent welfare families and 25% of welfare recipients overall on work programs. Federal funding will be cut as punishment, yet only a few states are expected to meet the requirements.
For example, California only has about 20% of their two-parent families working, which can result in federal cuts of $185 million. By 2002, the states are expected to have moved half their welfare recipients into jobs, including 90% of two-parent families. Congress is blaming the states for the low success rates, while welfare reform critics say that the laws were bad to begin with, and that the welfare-to-work rules were not made clear to the states.
