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GOP outrage over administration plans for welfare system
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Lawmakers speak out against ending strict work requirements for recipients
- Duration 3:47
- Date Jul 13, 2012
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Transcript
This transcript is automatically generated
Referred to with Carl Cameron President Obama is being accused tonight -- tried and welfare reform as we know it.
It involves a change to the systems strict work requirements mandates that came from the last democratic president.
Chief national correspondent Jim Angle reports on what that change is and how it was -- Revealed.
The Obama administration has issued new rules for welfare assistance that conservatives are you ripped to shreds the popular and successful reform.
Put in place by President Bill Clinton.
The Obama administration is getting welfare reform by claiming the authority to be able to -- work requirements.
And work requirements of course were the heart of the success.
Of welfare reform passed in 1996.
President Clinton embraced Republican ideas and work -- Newt Gingrich to pass a law in 1996.
Directed these days to implement a requirement that able bodied adult should be required to work.
Or prepare for work.
As a condition for receiving welfare assistance.
It remains one of the most popular acts in the Clinton administration.
Both because it was bipartisan.
And because it was successful.
Almost four decades prior to welfare reform -- -- no significant decline in the roles.
After welfare reform we saw the rolls dropped in half.
And child poverty reached an historical low.
Even though work requirements were not subject to waiver the Health and Human Services Department now claims it can issue waivers by using other provisions of the welfare reform law.
Republicans are outraged.
Senator Orrin hatch calls it quote an outright abuse of the federal government system of checks and balances and an insult to American taxpayers.
Dave Camp by the house Ways and Means Committee calls -- quote.
A brazen and unwarranted unraveling of welfare reform.
-- -- many Republicans are not happy that the 1996 law is under attack.
Got more and more people working in news good this is guys step backwards so we'll need to make sure then there is no violation of the law.
And perhaps we'll need new -- -- that drive home this requirement.
Senator Jon Kyl a longtime advocate -- welfare reform blasted the HHS moved.
He points to report that laid out what some -- we're counting as fulfilling the work requirement.
And argues the HH has now apparently quote.
Believes it can unilaterally grant itself the authority to exempt states from the work requirement that were critical element of welfare reform.
And 2005 the Government Accountability Office reported that several states were listing -- work some things that clearly did not qualify including.
Bed rest personal care activities massage exercised.
Journal and motivational -- smoking cessation weight loss promotion participating in parent teacher meetings and helping a friend or relative with household tasks and -- the Obama administration told lawmakers some states had asked for flexibility but Republicans dismissed that saying it was an effort to simply bypass congress the only body they say with the authority to change the work requirement.
That's a very significant.
Grab the power that congress never intended.
Congress did not give the secretary of health and human services or any executive branch member for that matter.
The authority to -- work requirements under welfare.
And Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney offered his own interpretation.
After the president go back and try and erase that.
He is not fair to the people who rely on welfare it's not fair to the people who are taxpayers in this country it's the wrong course it creates a permanent underclass in America.
The administration said it wanted to laminate the work requirement that -- let the states use different map that methods than those in the legislation.
That's exactly what some members of congress are -- I will follow this one Jim.
