[영문]The enactment of the Family Support Act was the outcome of asix-year legislative and administrative review of, and debate about,welfare policy and programs. Heralded as the opportunity of thecentury, it did little, however, to alter existing policy. This articleexamines the evolution of the Family Support Act within the UnitedStates Congress, spotlighting two important time periods leadingup to its enactment: 1981 to 1985 and 1986 to 1988. Original documentsfrom the files of the late Senator Moynihan, legislative sponsorof the Family Support Act, as well as a comprehensive investigationof Congressional records of hearings and debates, media editorialsand commentaries, and extensive Congressional interviewsform the basis for this analysis which vividly illustrates the politicsof welfare policy-making in the United States. It concludes with observationsabout the policy implications of the Family Support Actand offers insight into how its passage paved the way for the PersonalResponsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.