It’s because they want the aid money instead to do what they want with it as opposed to directly giving the money to needy families who would likely only use it for food:
If the Biden Administration and Congress want to make a real commitment to family well-being, they should invest in already existing programs and infrastructure at the state level and give us the flexibility to tailor them to our state’s needs"
over time, states redirected a substantial portion of their state and federal TANF funds to other purposes, to fill state budget holes, and in some cases to substitute for existing state spending. Even when need increased during the Great Recession, states were often unable to bring the funds back to core welfare reform services and instead made cuts in basic assistance, child care, and work programs.
These overwhelmingly Republican-led states used money from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (Tanf), better known as welfare or direct cash aid, to fund the activities of anti-abortion clinics associated with the evangelical right.
It’s because they want the aid money instead to do what they want with it as opposed to directly giving the money to needy families who would likely only use it for food:
They don’t want it for anything, your bold is just a lie to throw shade.
They want the money, they just don’t want the money to be tied to feeding the poor.
Look at what happened with TANF block grants:
https://www.cbpp.org/research/welfare-reform-tanf/how-states-use-federal-and-state-funds-under-the-tanf-block-grant
and
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jun/04/states-divert-federal-welfare-funding-anti-abortion-clinics