Latest Fact-Checks In Debt

Clear
Kelly Ayotte
Kelly Ayotte
stated on October 24, 2013 a town hall meeting in Hudson, N.H.
Under President George W. Bush, "we added $4.9 trillion to the debt. Under President Obama … we’ve added $6.5 trillion to the debt."
True
By Jim Haddadin • November 1, 2013
Andrew Napolitano
Andrew Napolitano
stated on October 17, 2013 an interview on "Fox and Friends"
"Woodrow Wilson borrowed $30 billion to fund World War I in 1917. That money has not been paid back. And we are still paying interest on it."
Mostly False
By Louis Jacobson • October 23, 2013
Tom Colicchio
Tom Colicchio
stated on October 20, 2013 a tweet
Says under President Barack Obama, the debt increased by 23 percent, which was less than under any president going back to Ronald Reagan.
False
By Louis Jacobson • October 22, 2013
Louie Gohmert
Louie Gohmert
stated on October 15, 2013 an interview with Fox News
"We went from $160 billion deficit spending in (President George W.) Bush's last year to $1.6 trillion the following year."
Mostly False
By Louis Jacobson • October 18, 2013
Roger Williams
Roger Williams
stated on October 11, 2013 an interview as quoted in a news story
The federal government "has $3 trillion in cash flow, so we can pay our bills" and won’t default.
Half-True
By W. Gardner Selby • October 16, 2013
Roger Williams
Roger Williams
stated on October 11, 2013 as quoted in a newspaper article
A congressional laundry closed due to the partial government shutdown.
True
By W. Gardner Selby • October 14, 2013
Chris Kapenga
Chris Kapenga
stated on August 23, 2013 a newsletter
"The amount of interest" paid on the federal debt exceeds "total tax revenue."
False
September 15, 2013
Kathleen Vinehout
Kathleen Vinehout
stated on August 24, 2013 a column
Because of Gov. Scott Walker’s budgeting, a greater percentage of general fund tax dollars is "going to pay off debt than ever before in our history."
Half-True
September 2, 2013
Mark Harris
Mark Harris
stated on July 20, 2013 an interview
"I’ve got the spending down, I’ve got the debt down a little bit, I’ve got the reserves up."
Mostly True
By Dave Umhoefer • August 28, 2013
Ron Johnson
Ron Johnson
stated on July 17, 2013 an interview
On average, college students "are taking six years to get a four-year degree."  
Mostly True
August 11, 2013
Jeff Merkley
Jeff Merkley
stated on July 11, 2013 an opinion article
Says "in Oregon today, the average debt upon college graduation is more than $24,000."
Mostly True
By Yuxing Zheng • August 10, 2013
David Cicilline
David Cicilline
stated on July 21, 2013 an appearance on WPRI-TV's "Newsmakers" program
"The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan office, did an analysis and said that passing comprehensive immigration reform will reduce the federal deficit by $200 billion over the next decade."
True
By C. Eugene Emery Jr. • August 1, 2013
American Postal Workers Union
American Postal Workers Union
stated on July 8, 2013 television advertisement
"The U.S. Postal Service doesn’t run on your tax dollars. It’s funded solely by stamps and postage."
Half-True
By Eric Stirgus • July 24, 2013
Charlene Lima
Charlene Lima
stated on June 26, 2013 a speech on the floor of the Rhode Island House
Economic Development Commission Executive Director Keith Stokes "sent me a letter and he said the taxpayers will never be on the hook for these bonds" for 38 Studios.
True
By C. Eugene Emery Jr. • July 10, 2013
Republican Governors Association
Republican Governors Association
stated on May 29, 2013 a gubernatorial campaign TV ad
"Barbara Buono by the numbers: As a Trenton politician, she voted to raise taxes 154 times. Under her, property taxes up 70 percent. Backed a 16 percent sales tax increase. Utilities, nursing homes, cell phones, parking lots, lottery wins, gyms – She taxed them all. Architect of Corzine’s budget, she drove New Jersey $2 billion into debt. Barbara Buono by the numbers: taking New Jersey backwards."
Mostly True
By Caryn Shinske • June 6, 2013
Gina Raimondo
Gina Raimondo
stated on May 29, 2013 an interview with WJAR-TV
"The average student comes out of college hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt."
False
By C. Eugene Emery Jr. • June 6, 2013
Chris Christie
Chris Christie
stated on May 22, 2013 A gubernatorial campaign television ad
"Jon Corzine, elected governor. Teams up with Barbara Buono. $1.2  billion sales tax increase? Passed. Most spending in state history? Passed. After Buono named budget chair, taxes and fees increase 23 times in just two years. State debt? Up $13.4 billion. Unemployment? Doubled."
Half-True
By Caryn Shinske • June 2, 2013
Ron Maag
Ron Maag
stated on April 12, 2013 a statement during a state House Finance and Appropriations Committee hearing
 "Forty-six cents of every dollar" Ohio could get for Medicaid expansion "is going to come from China or some other country that doesn’t like us very much."
False
By Stephen Koff • May 22, 2013
David Cicilline
David Cicilline
stated on May 12, 2013 an interview on WPRI's Newsmakers program
Historically, the Social Security tax has been assessed on about 90% of U.S. income. Now it captures 83% because there's been such a growth of income among the highest earners.
Mostly False
By C. Eugene Emery Jr. • May 19, 2013
Will Weatherford
Will Weatherford
stated on May 9, 2013 an op-ed
"Expanding Medicaid would require borrowing more money, drastically expanding our deficit."
Half-True
By Katie Sanders • May 16, 2013
Previous Next