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Bill Weld on Welfare & Poverty
Former Republican Governor; former Senate candidate (MA)
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Instituted work requirements for welfare recipients
As governor of Massachusetts he cut taxes sixteen times, balanced the budget annually, pursued privatization, and vetoed minimum wage increases. Although he grew progressively slacker on spending as his tenure wore on, Weld's first budget actually
reduced expenditures below the previous year's level. Hardly a Rockefeller Republican, he instituted work requirements for welfare recipients before the 1996 federal reform legislation and boasted that on taxes he was "a filthy supply-sider."
Source: American Spectator, "Understanding Bill Weld"
, Aug 25, 2005
Wage all-out war on culture of welfare dependency
Kerry wasted no time in attacking the Republican's stance on welfare, one of the issues that the governor prides himself on. Portraying Weld as a callous politician,
Kerry accused him of making "a political career out of picking on people on welfare" and called the governor's standards for welfare "Draconian."
"You spend more time beating up on welfare recipients than you do on finding plans to cover them," Kerry added.
Weld angrily defended welfare reform policy as the only measure that would eliminate poverty and
the welfare mentality. "We have to wage an all-out war on fatherlessness and the culture of welfare dependency," Weld said.
Source: Harvard Crimson on Kerry/Weld debates
, Apr 9, 1996
Page last updated: Aug 22, 2016