The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program provided services such as direct cash assistance and housing services for 2 million individuals in 2025, with $16 billion provided annually for all 50 states. The assistance program provides over $16 billion each year for all 50 states, D.C., and several territories and tribal governments, and is one of the larges sources of direct assistance to low-income families. The administration asserted that it possessed the authority to “ensure compliance with all [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] program requirements,” not just those “expressly” entrusted to it by statute. “[Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] funds provide critical assistance to help families put food on the table, find safe housing and make ends meet, but this administration is weaponizing [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] to illegally use millions of people’s most private personal information. Programs like [Temporary Assistance for Needy Families] are a lifeline for New York families and I won’t let this administration turn them into a tool for targeting the most vulnerable.”