Myth: “President Obama gutted welfare reform by removing the work requirement”

“President Obama gutted welfare reform by removing the work requirement” This falsehood was frequently uttered by Mitt Romney during the 2012 election.  Here is what the truth is. At the request of some state governors, Obama allowed states to relax certain regulations in order to increase the number of people who are working. The purpose of this change was to allow states to try new methods to increase employment in their states and get people off of Welfare. Under the new policy, states can now seek a federal waiver from work-participation rules that, among other things, require welfare recipients to engage…