Romney Campaign Press Release - Ted Cruz: Rolling Back Welfare Reform Is Another Big Government Overreach

"The most compelling reason behind the bipartisan welfare reform that we saw is that helping those receiving government assistance to get jobs, to stand on their own feet fundamentally transforms their lives. We are not doing anybody a favor by giving them welfare in perpetuity and making them dependent on government." — Texas Republican Senate Nominee Ted Cruz

Texas Republican Senate Nominee Ted Cruz, Romney Senior Adviser Ed Gillespie, and Romney Deputy Policy Director Jonathan Burks

Press Conference Call

August 7, 2012

Click To Listen To The Entire Call:   Part One  Part Two

Highlights From The "President Obama's Dismantling of Bipartisan Welfare Reforms" Press Conference Call:

TED CRUZ: "Right now, we're engaged in a national debate over big government solutions versus individual responsibility and I think this issue powerfully illustrates the different approaches between President Obama and Governor Romney. In my view, there are three critical failings behind President Obama's new policy on welfare. Number one, it's fiscally irresponsible. At a time when our nation has sixteen trillion dollars in national debt, the idea that this president would eliminate one of the key requirements that reduced the welfare caseload and reduced federal government spending makes no sense. Number two, it is yet another action of executive arrogance by this president—President Obama, if he disagreed with requiring welfare recipients to work or to seek work. He could have gone to Congress. He could have proposed new legislation. He could have tried to make the case to the American people. But he did not do that. He didn't try to make the argument to anybody that work requirements were unnecessary or were counterproductive in welfare. Instead, he simply decreed it by executive order and this has been a pattern of this administration where they believe their own ideology trumps the views of the American people. And the third critical failing of this new policy is that it hurts the recipients of welfare. The most compelling reason behind the bipartisan welfare reform that we saw is that helping those receiving government assistance to get jobs, to stand on their own feet fundamentally transforms their lives. We are not doing anybody a favor by giving them welfare in perpetuity and making them dependent on government."