American Indian Culture and Research Journal

In August of 1996 Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which President Bill Clinton then signed into law, “ending welfare as we know it.” For the past thirty years emphasis on work and self-sufficiency has slowly replaced income supports in welfare policy. Politicians assert that the new requirements, most notably the new time limits and work requirements have been a success. Others, however, are concerned by the social and economic implications of these new policies. Given the period of time that these policies have been in effect, we have the opportunity to review the assumptions on which PRWORA has been based and examine the practical consequences of the new welfare system. Research conducted since the late 1990s has addressed many aspects of the experiences of welfare clients living in urban areas. However, much less of the recent work has dealt with rural areas. Several scholars have examined the early experiences of rural welfare clients, especially minority group members. One such recent research effort focused on services provided under the new welfare policies and their effectiveness in assisting American Indian participants to find employment, leave welfare, and move out of poverty. This report to the National Congress of American Indians calls for additional research on several issues that have become key as the welfare program has matured and its requirements have changed within different state and community contexts.