USA TODAY International Edition
Romney remark puts focus on safety net for very poor
Critics continue to hit Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for saying he is “not concerned about the very poor.”
Critics continue to hit Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney for saying he is “not concerned about the very poor.”
In an interview Wednesday with CNN, Romney said, “I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich. They’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the very heart of America, the 90 to 95% of Americans who right now are struggling.”
His comments touched off criticism from Republicans, including his main rival for the nomination, Newt Gingrich. At his first campaign in event in Las Vegas on Thursday, Gingrich said, “I really believe that we should care about the very poor, unlike Gov. Romney. But I believe we should care differently than Barack Obama.”
Democrats took a whack at Romney, too. The Democratic National Committee created a Web ad Thursday attacking him for his comments.
The federal government spent $ 708 billion in 2009 on programs for the poor, according to a report last year by the non- partisan Congressional Research Service. The increase from the year before, when the U. S. spent $ 578 billion, was due in large part to the economic stimulus law enacted in 2009.
Sheldon Danziger, director of the National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan, said the recession has hurt programs for the very poor because many benefits are getting cut at the state level.
“The safety net is strong, mainly because of the stimulus bill, but it’s not as strong as it should be,” he said.
The strongest programs are the Earned Income Tax Credit and food stamps, he says, because anyone who is eligible gets benefits.
Programs like housing vouchers are limited by a set amount of funding, he says, which can mean long waiting lists.