Final answer:
AFDC provided unrestricted cash payments to poor mothers, while TANF imposes a 5-year limit and work requirements on beneficiaries, granting states autonomy to manage their programs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The major difference between the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs lies in both the structure and objectives of these welfare systems. AFDC provided cash payments to mothers with children below the poverty line without a defined time limit. In contrast, the 1996 welfare reform act replaced AFDC with TANF, which not only sets a time limit of a maximum of 5 years for assistance but also imposes work requirements on beneficiaries. TANF grants states greater autonomy to administer welfare programs, with federal mandates to encourage work and limit the lifetime receipt of benefits.
The major difference between the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs is that AFDC provided cash payments to mothers with children below the poverty line, while TANF provides grants to individual states to administer their own welfare programs. AFDC was replaced by TANF as part of the welfare reform act in 1996. TANF has specific income limits and time limits for receiving assistance, and it focuses on promoting economic self-sufficiency through work and job training programs.