Requiring work was a key part of the 1996 welfare reform law enacted by a GOP-led Congress and signed by then-President Bill Clinton, and Mr. Trump’s move restores the law as written.
"The waiver option offered by the Obama administration is being replaced today by an expectation that work should always be encouraged as a condition for receiving welfare," said Steven Wagner, the Health and Human Services Department’s acting assistant secretary for children and families.
The 2012 Obama policy didn’t outright gut the welfare law. Instead, it pushed states to consider applying for waivers that would let them still pay benefits to people even if they weren’t actively seeking work, job training or meeting other criteria.
The move proved to be ineffective.