ELK GROVE VILLAGE – Republican Mitt Romney accused President Barack Obama on Tuesday of ditching a long-standing work requirement for welfare recipients, accusing him of fostering a "culture of dependency" and backing up the charge with a new television commercial.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said the allegations were "blatantly dishonest ... hypocrisy knows no bounds." He added that Romney, while serving as Massachusetts governor, had once petitioned the White House to loosen employment rules for those on welfare.

Romney made his accusation in a relatively rare occurrence in the race for the White House – an appearance before voters outside the small group of battleground states likely to settle the Nov. 6 election.