USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Since block grants are administered by the state governments, there is little oversight by the federal government to regulate how the money is spent. One such criticism occurred when the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) was converted to TANF. AFDC gave cash assistance to needy families directly.

Detailed explanation-2: -The federal government awards hundreds of billions of dollars in grants to state and local governments each year. These grants help finance a broad range of services, including health care, education, social services, infrastructure, and public safety.

Detailed explanation-3: -During the Reagan Administration the focus changed, and block grants became a vehicle for shrinking the role of the Federal Government and devolving responsibility for financing and administering domestic assistance programs to state and local jurisdictions.

Detailed explanation-4: -Block grants provide state and local governments funding to assist them in addressing broad purposes, such as community development, social services, public health, or law enforcement, and generally provide them more control over the use of the funds than categorical grants.