Statement by President Bill Clinton on Governor Mitt Romney's New Television Advertisement

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Statement by President Bill Clinton on Governor Mitt Romney's New Television Advertisement

New York, NY—Governor Romney released an ad today alleging that the Obama administration had weakened the work requirements of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act. That is not true.

The act emerged after years of experiments at the state level, including my work as Governor of Arkansas beginning in 1980. When I became President, I granted waivers from the old law to 44 states to implement welfare to work strategies before welfare reform passed.

After the law was enacted, every state was required to design a plan to move people into the workforce, along with more funds to help pay for training, childcare and transportation. As a result, millions of people moved from welfare to work.

The recently announced waiver policy was originally requested by the Republican governors of Utah and Nevada to achieve more flexibility in designing programs more likely to work in this challenging environment. The Administration has taken important steps to ensure that the work requirement is retained and that waivers will be granted only if a state can demonstrate that more people will be moved into work under its new approach. The welfare time limits, another important feature of the 1996 act, will not be waived.

The Romney ad is especially disappointing because, as governor of Massachusetts, he requested changes in the welfare reform laws that could have eliminated time limits altogether. We need a bipartisan consensus to continue to help people move from welfare to work even during these hard times, not more misleading campaign ads.

[Teddy B 17,252]

As per Mitt, that's nuthin but "Obamaloney".

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

As per Mitt, that's nuthin but "Obamaloney".

Truth is Mitt doesn't trust Republican governors. I bet he knows why.

[Teddy B 17,252]

Truth is Mitt doesn't trust Republican governors. I bet he knows why.

I agree. I get a very uneasy feeling from Mitt, not sure if it has to do with having him as Governor here in Mass, but sumthin bout Mitt just aint sittin right with me. I've got little to no confidence in him.