West Virginia’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Crisis

The current issues with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) in West Virginia are almost comical, if not for the fact that thousands of needy children and their families are being harmed by it.

The TANF funds in question come from the federal government, and it appears West Virginia is not being a good steward for those funds. The Legislature’s job is to “appropriate,” or approve, the use of funds for various purposes. In this case, that was done.

Then the Governor, in conjunction with his appointed department Secretaries, the Treasurer, and Auditor, is to make sure the funds are used as approved and to keep good records of what is spent, for what, and where. That apparently had NOT been done.

When questions arose about why the back-to-school clothing allowance was not being handled as it had in the past, the Governor cited a sudden lack of funds. When follow-up investigations were done, that assertion proved false. The Governor then changed his story, claiming that poor families were abusing the system by taking cash from ATM’s and using it for “beer and cigarettes.”

TANF money is usually added to EBT cards, and federal rules mandate that ATM withdrawals be allowed (with some logical restrictions) to enable those families to make the most judicious use of the funds.

The Governor’s office issued a statement on the TANF crisis on August 3^rd.

State Senator Amy Nichole Grady (R-Mason) told MetroNews Television that after testimony from the Secretary of the Department of Human Services, the legislature still does not understand what happened to the funds. She stated, “We still left not really knowing exactly what the problem was. You know, we funded what the governor asked for. The reason given for the vouchers not being rolled out on July 1 wasn’t sufficient, and there was still no evidence or data to be used to provide clear evidence on that comment that was made about spending it on beer and cigarettes. And so, we’re still left with, you know, nothing. We still don’t know exactly what the problem was.”

My opponent, Charlie Hartzog, posted in response to the Governor:

It appears that Charlie frequently supports whatever the Governor says, and certainly, he has the right to do that, but he might want to read the Governor’s statement a bit more closely in future.

The statement from the Governor clearly states that “last year (2025) the School Clothing Allowance spent roughly $11.4 million and assisted approximately 57,000 children.” From above, Charlie said, “According to some sources, there are over 5,000 kids in the state who were dependent on this.”  Only a minor mistake, if you believe forgetting 52,000 children is a minor mistake.

On August 5^th, Charlie posted his own AI-created graphic, again boosting the Governor’s own words:

We know the Governor (and his wife and associates) are big supporters of Charlie, but does that mean Charlie can never acknowledge that the Governor might be…wrong?

On a positive note, Charlie told me that he had only one family from the 12^th district who contacted him to get the $200 he offered, and that he was able to provide it from his earnings at his newer job at the 7^th Street Speedway (No longer at Walmart, as is so often being reported). So, kudos to you for that charitable gift from your hard-earned wages. Good job!

Stephen Thomas Smith