# Plain Language Summary: JOBS for Success Act of 2025

This bill updates and reforms the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which provides cash assistance to low-income families with children. Think of it as a major overhaul of how the government helps struggling families get back on their feet through work and support services. The bill extends the program's funding through 2030 and makes significant changes to how states must run their welfare programs.

The core idea behind this bill is to push more people receiving welfare into jobs and keep them employed. Under the new rules, states must create detailed "individual opportunity plans" for everyone receiving benefits—basically a personalized roadmap showing what job training, education, or work activities each person will do. Everyone who can work is expected to participate in work activities, and caseworkers must meet with people at least every 90 days to check on their progress. If someone doesn't follow their plan without a good reason, their benefits get reduced. The bill also introduces new performance measures that track whether people actually find jobs, keep those jobs, and earn decent wages—with particular attention to whether young people finish high school.

The bill includes several accountability measures aimed at making sure money goes where it's supposed to. States can't use federal welfare funds to replace their own spending on welfare programs, and they must report detailed data on how many people find employment and how much they earn. The government will also measure "improper payments"—essentially fraud or mistakes—to ensure program integrity. Additionally, the bill adds poverty reduction as an official goal of the program, alongside employment, and requires the federal government to approve state plans before they can be implemented, giving Washington more oversight over how states run their programs.