PETITION CLOSED

  • The time period for signing this petition has ended.
Ban Family Cap/Child Exclusion Policies
  1. Signatures
    256 out of 5,000
    Petitioning
    1. Assistant Secretary for Children and Families (Carmen R. Nazario)
  2. Created By
    East Bay Community Law Center
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

Nineteen states deny full cash benefits to children born after their mothers enroll in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ("TANF") program.

These so-called family cap or child exclusion policies push the entire family, including the other children, into deeper poverty.  They increase the children's risk for a host of problems, including poor physical and/or mental health, difficulties in school, involvement in crime, and ultimately, lifelong poverty.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Child and Families is deciding what it will recommend when Congress moves to reauthorize the TANF program. 

Tell the Assistant Secretary of ACF to include a nationwide ban on child exclusion policies on her agenda.

Recent Signatures

Eliminate Child Exclusion/Family Cap Policies

Dear Assistant Secretary Nazario

As you may know, 19 states currently deny full cash benefits to children born after their mothers enroll in Temporary Assistance to Needy Families ("TANF"). I ask that you include a ban on these child exclusion (or "family cap") policies as part of your department's agenda for reauthorizing legislation.

Child exclusion policies punish children for being born at the wrong time. They also punish the other children in the family. They put all the children at higher risk for a host of lifelong problems. They do not belong in a program designed to mitigate economic hardship and reduce poverty for the long term.

Please use your leadership position and your credibility as a TANF expert to help secure a nationwide ban on child exclusion policies.

Thank you for considering this request.

[Your name]

Press Inquiries