Mitt Romney’s latest ad is hypocritical and false, criticizing the President for the same kind of welfare reform flexibility that Romney supported as governor of Massachusetts. President Obama’s waivers let states build welfare-to-work programs that are best for them while strengthening work requirements by 20 percent. Romney would’ve gone further by waiving time limits, which would undercut the central idea of welfare reform. 

• Romney’s False Ad: Mitt Romney is falsely claiming that President Obama weakened the welfare-to-work requirements. That’s not true. The President recently gave states more tools they need to help move people from welfare to work as quickly as possible. Republican governors have been asking for these new tools for years.
  • Please see this Truth Team blog post, “President Obama promotes welfare reform, GOP launches false attacks.”

• The Facts:President Obama’s flexibility waivers don’t weaken welfare-to-work requirements. They require states to strengthen work requirements by increasing job placement 20 percent.
  • Welfare reform requires states to move people from federal assistance to work, but some federal requirements are extremely complex. Sometimes caseworkers end up spending more time doing paperwork than helping people find work. For years states have asked for the flexibility to create more successful programs.
  • The President listened to their concerns and created new options to help states meet their needs. He’s letting states apply for waivers from federal requirements that get in the way so they can build welfare-to-work programs that are best for them. States that get waivers have to increase job placement by 20 percent.
  • The waivers can’t be used to weaken welfare reform. They won’t be approved if they weaken or undercut welfare reform or try to avoid time limits on assistance. They’ll only be given to states that test ways to do a better job at promoting work among families that get assistance.

• Romney’s Blatant Hypocrisy:As governor of Massachusetts, Romney requested the same kind of welfare flexibility waivers that President Obama provided.
  • Romney and other Republican governors signed a letter in 2005 urging the Senate to move quickly on “increased waiver authority” for the welfare program.
  • Romney wanted the waivers to go further than the President’s proposal and waive time limits on assistance. Romney’s waiver request would undercut the central idea of welfare reform, and it wouldn’t be approved under the President’s plan.
  • Please see this Huffington Post article, “Mitt Romney Ad Criticizes Obama For Welfare Policy Romney Supported As Governor.”
• President Obama reached across the aisle and put in place a new policy that will make welfare-to-work stronger. Romney is falsely criticizing a policy he once supported that empowers states to implement welfare reform – he’d rather falsely attack the President than find solutions.