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Who's right in the welfare reform battle?

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    Inside Obama and Romney's claims

  • Duration 2:32
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Mitt Romney says President Obama wants to -- welfare reform.

The president's people say they just want to make things easier for administrators and caseworkers.

So who's right tonight chief national correspondent Jim Angle with the fact -- Those who worked on the welfare reform law say categorically that it was written to prevent any waiver of the work requirement.

The plain language in the statute says is secretary -- not issue any -- about dissection of the law because basically that would have defeated the pretty much the entire purpose of the war are what the administration argues it will not weaken that provision he had does claim the authority to -- -- the lawyers at eight at HHS figured out.

What I would call a loophole.

That allows them to actually meet this waiver -- may be surprised to learn that the welfare work requirement does not applied to all welfare recipients the state must have 40%.

Of the recipients adult recipients in this program engaged in some sort of work activity for twenty to thirty hours a week.

It gives fourteen activities that count -- work governor solvency flexibility on how to combine and coordinate them.

Where the unemployment high President Obama had earlier exempt did some welfare recipients from work.

And allowed states to expand their welfare population.

Many lawmakers now -- -- the welfare dispute is part of a broader trend toward rapidly increasing dependency on federal money of all kinds.

Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee point to US census numbers -- and 107 million Americans haven't been.

On some government program not counting Medicare Social Security the earned income tax -- or the new health care law.

The federal government runs over eighty different welfare programs aiding poor and low income people the president also -- the work requirement in food stamps beginning in early 2009 which continues through this fall were 46 -- now.

Of all those eighty plus programs.

Only three had work requirements.

Now one of the work requirements is gone it's down to two meanwhile the White House -- the Obama campaign noted pointedly that Romney himself joined other governors is seeking welfare flexibility back in 2005.

In support of policies.

That would have eliminated the time limits in the law and allow people stay on welfare forever.

But rector says that's preposterous.

That Republican governors weren't trying to weaken the work requirement they were the ones who -- part of the movement to establish it.

Brett Anderson Jim thank you.

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