Romney Accuses Obama of Taking Work Out of Welfare
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J.D. Pooley/Getty Images(ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill.) — Mitt Romney today accused President Obama of “taking the work requirement out of welfare,” a reference to the administration’s recent decision to allow states more flexibility in how they award welfare.
“President Obama in just the last few days has tried to reverse that accomplishment by taking the work requirement out of welfare,” said Romney, speaking right outside Chicago, Obama’s old stomping grounds. “That is wrong. If I’m president, I’ll put work back in welfare.”
“There is nothing better than a good job to help lift a family, to allow people to be able to provide for themselves and to end the spread of a culture of dependency. We must include more work in welfare,” said Romney.
Romney, who earlier this year was criticized for suggesting in an interview that he wasn’t “concerned about the very poor,” a comment he later clarified, reiterated today his desire to help people in need.
“I vetoed that and then fought time and again to get more work requirements, to raise the work requirements in my state, not because I don’t think people who need help should be helped,” said Romney, speaking of his record as governor of Massachusetts.
“I very much agree that those who are seriously disabled or are unable to work need to have help of the rest of us, but those who can work ought to have the opportunity for a good job, and if they’re getting state assistance, they ought to have the requirement for a good job,” said Romney. “We will end a culture dependency and restore a culture of good, hard work.”
Lis Smith, a spokeswoman for Obama’s reelection campaign, called Romney’s assertion “false” and “extremely hypocritical.”
“The Obama administration, working with the Republican governors of states like Nevada and Utah, is giving states additional flexibility only if they move more people from welfare to work – not fewer,” said Smith.
“But as governor, Mitt Romney petitioned the federal government for waivers that would have let people stay on welfare for an indefinite period, ending welfare reform as we know it, and even created a program that handed out free cars to welfare recipients,” she added.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio