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Prior to the change, under the Clinton administration, cash assistance was paid to welfare recipients. Under the block grants, Republicans especially have used the money for everything but assistance, including buying cars for Republicans and paying money to crisis pregnancy centers.

“In 1998, nearly 60 percent of welfare spending was on cash benefits, categorized as “basic assistance.” By 2014, it was only about one-quarter of TANF spending. That shift has happened despite a burgeoning economics literature suggesting that direct cash transfers are in many cases the most efficient tool to fight poverty.”
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/most-welfare-dollars-dont-go-directly-to-poor-people-anymore/

Direct cash assistance got money directly into the hands of the people who needed it. Now they get pennies instead. These block grants have become just another way for state governments to cheat poor people.