OUTSOURCING

Romney: “The idea that we have to see more and more products move from our shores to China is unacceptable.” —Mitt Romney [Detroit News, 9/5/11] Reality: The Washington Post reports that as CEO, Mitt Romney advised companies that were “pioneers” in outsourcing jobs overseas. As governor, Romney drew from the same playbook and outsourced state jobs. And today, Romney has proposed eliminating all taxes on companies’ foreign profits—which would actually encourage companies to send jobs overseas.

2004Governor Romney vetoed a bill that would have banned state contractors from outsourcing state work overseas. [Boston Globe, 6/26/04]

“To save a little bit of money, we're actually putting people out of work here and sending this work to India, and employing those people with taxpayer dollars.”

—Massachusetts State Sen. Jack Hart, who sponsored the anti-outsourcing budget measure Romney vetoed [Boston Globe, 6/18/04]

2005Under Romney, Massachusetts outsourced jobs in child support enforcement, food stamps, and unemployment insurance overseas. [GAO report, “Offshoring In Six Human Services Programs,” 3/2006]

“When Romney was governor of Massachusetts, his administration signed a $160,000-per-month contract with Citigroup to operate an electronic food stamp system that included a consumer call center in India.”

[Boston Globe, Political Intelligence, 5/1/12]

“Last week, representatives from the Commonwealth’s Human Resources Division confirmed that approximately $1 million in Medicaid data entry work has been outsourced to a firm in India for several years. As a governor who promised to bring jobs to Massachusetts, you must be as disturbed by this news as I am.”

Letter to Mitt Romney from SEIU/NAGE Local 207 President Theresa McGoldrick, 5/20/2004

“These are Massachusetts jobs providing services for the people of Massachusetts. To stay competitive and stay strong we have to stop sending Massachusetts jobs overseas or to other states. And our citizens' hard-earned tax dollars should stay right here and benefit the people of Massachusetts.”

—Senator Ted Kennedy [Boston Herald, 2/23/06]

Romney now says that as president, he would eliminate taxes on the foreign profits of U.S. firms. He hasn’t called for the elimination of a single corporate loophole, not even tax breaks for moving operations overseas. His plans would encourage U.S. companies to outsource jobs—worsening unemployment, middle-class security, and the economy.

The promise: Mitt Romney ran for governor on the promise that with his connections in the private sector, he would help bring new jobs to Massachusetts and keep existing jobs there. The record: As governor, Mitt Romney applied lessons he learned as a corporate buyout specialist and failed to protect good jobs in Massachusetts. His administration actually signed a contract that outsourced Massachusetts jobs overseas. Now he is proposing tax policies that would make it easier for companies to outsource American jobs overseas—while failing to offer a real plan to create American jobs.
View the Romney Economics Timeline