The document summarizes key aspects of the 1996 welfare reform act: It ended entitlements to welfare, implemented a block grant program, and imposed work requirements and lifetime limits on benefits to cut welfare programs. It also replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Interest groups, Congress, and the bureaucracy influenced both the formation and implementation of the reform act through lobbying, elections, and regulatory policies.