Red Tape vs. Real Jobs: Romney's Welfare Lie

CORE MESSAGE

The number of people Obama let out of work requirements: 0.
The number of people Romney is lying to about it: Millions.

Connect: We need leaders with honor, not politicians who play on our fears to gain power.

Define: Obama's welfare reform policy gives governors more flexibility to cut through the red tape and move people into real jobs -- but only if they move MORE people into jobs.

Discredit: It's just like the flexibility Romney sought as governor of Massachusetts. Does Romney really prefer red tape over real jobs? Nope. He's just lying to gain political power.

Turn the tables: If Romney's really concerned about work requirements, his running mate Congressman Paul Ryan actually voted for a bill that would let governors gut them.  

Values: Romney isn't just lying about Obama. He's demonizing struggling families and exploiting our economic fears to divide us against each other.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• In July, the Obama Administration announced that it would consider governors' requests for more flexibility administering work requirements for families in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program -- a policy improvement that would mean at least 20% more people moving into real jobs in the waiver states.
• The Administration's policy improvement was requested by both Democratic and Republican governors, and no waivers have yet been issued.
• As Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, along with 28 other Republican governors, sought a similar TANF waiver authority so they'd have more flexibility to meet the welfare reform law's requirements -- waivers more expansive than those that would be issued by the Administration.
• In fact, if Romney is concerned about who would seek to gut welfare reform's work requirements, his running mate Congressman Paul Ryan voted for a sweeping proposal to give governors "super waiver" authority over TANF, as well as a broad range of other programs.
• When he was Massachusetts Governor, Romney's Car Ownership Program gave out free auto insurance, car registration, inspections and AAA memberships to families trying to move from TANF to work.
• The Romney-Ryan budget would gut programs and work supports that families need to find and keep real jobs, like child care and job training, and cut 4 million jobs in the next two years alone.

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