Federal Budget Scorecard true 0% 164 Checks mostly-true 0% 224 Checks Half True 0% 267 Checks mostly-false 0% 222 Checks false 0% 239 Checks Pants on Fire 0% 63 Checks For more details, see the Principles of PolitiFact All Fact-checks for Federal Budget Donald Trump stated on January 13, 2026 in a speech in Detroit: "If we stop this fraud, this massive fraud, we're going to have a balanced budget." January 13, 2026 Donald Trump stated on November 12, 2025 in an X post: “My tariffs … are helping to slash the deficit this year by more than 25%.” November 14, 2025 JB Pritzker stated on October 30, 2025 in a press conference: The federal government “decided to shut down the SNAP machines, so that they can’t be used.” November 3, 2025 X posts stated on October 28, 2025 in X posts: The majority of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program recipients are not U.S. citizens. November 3, 2025 Social Media stated on October 22, 2025 in social media posts: Walmart will close to in-store shoppers and allow only online orders and curbside pickup starting Nov. 1 because of an expected Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funding lapse. October 29, 2025 James Clyburn stated on October 8, 2025 in an X post: “Trump’s budget called for a $300 (million) cut” to the Women, Infants and Children program. October 16, 2025 Rick Scott stated on October 2, 2025 in an X post: Democrats shut down the government because they want “health care for illegal aliens and funding for free abortions.” October 8, 2025 Amy Klobuchar stated on September 28, 2025 in an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation": People with insurance through the Affordable Care Act will see a “75% increase in premiums starting Nov. 1” if enhanced subsidies are not extended, including “twice as much in the rural areas.” September 30, 2025 stated on September 29, 2025 in The People's Cabinet podcast: “If the government shuts down, members of Congress still get paid. The janitors never get paid.” September 30, 2025 Hakeem Jeffries stated on September 24, 2025 in remarks to reporters: "Republicans have effectively ended medical research in the United States of America." September 29, 2025 stated on September 12, 2025 in a post on X: “Republicans are spiking health insurance premiums by 75% for everyday Americans” if they don’t extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. September 17, 2025 stated on July 20, 2025 in an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation": Tariffs are “going to pay off our deficit.” July 22, 2025 Gavin Newsom stated on July 14, 2025 in a podcast interview: “California provides $83.1 billion more than we receive from the federal government. Texas? Receives $71.1 billion more than they provide to the federal government. 71% of the U.S. GDP comes from blue counties.” July 18, 2025 stated on July 8, 2025 in Pod Save America: “ICE will now become the country’s largest federal law enforcement agency, bigger than the FBI, bigger than the DEA.” July 11, 2025 stated on June 1, 2025 in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union": “One out of every $5 or $6 in Medicaid (payments) is improper.” June 4, 2025 Mike Johnson stated on May 25, 2025 in a "Face the Nation" episode: “We are not cutting” the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. May 29, 2025 Donald Trump stated on May 20, 2025 in remarks to reporters in the U.S. Capitol: In the House bill, “we’re not changing Medicaid,” only cutting “waste, fraud and abuse.” May 22, 2025 Karoline Leavitt stated on May 19, 2025 in a White House press briefing: President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill “does not add to the deficit.” May 21, 2025 Michael Lawler stated on March 21, 2025 in a television interview: “If we don’t pass the tax bill by the end of the year, we will have the largest tax increase in American history.” By Jill Terreri Ramos • April 22, 2025 Harriet Hageman stated on March 16, 2025 in a podcast interview: The federal Education Department has a “budget of about $280 billion a year. Less than 25% goes to educating our students.” By Louis Jacobson • March 20, 2025 Load More Latest Articles Democratic fight over DHS funding could lead to government shutdown. How could it play out? • January 29, 2026 Fact-checking Donald Trump’s economic speech in Michigan • January 13, 2026 Trump sees a future without federal income taxes, but the tariff math doesn’t add up • December 3, 2025 Trump propone pagos de $2,000 a todos los estadounidenses. ¿Es posible? • November 12, 2025 Fact-checking Democrats’ talking points about Affordable Care Act subsidies • November 11, 2025 Can Trump create $2,000 tariff dividends, 50-year mortgages or direct health care payments? • November 11, 2025 Trump proposed $2,000 payments for Americans from tariff dividends. Would that work? • November 10, 2025 Ask PolitiFact: How much could the federal shutdown cost? • October 31, 2025 Who gets food stamps? Viral chart misleads about SNAP recipients’ race, ethnicity • October 27, 2025 Food stamps: Facts to know as millions on SNAP face losing benefits during shutdown • October 23, 2025 Fact-checking Trump Cabinet meeting during shutdown, National Guard deployments • October 9, 2025 Fact-checking political talking points about the 2025 government shutdown • October 1, 2025 Trump has defied norms on executive power. What actions could he take amid a government shutdown? • September 25, 2025 PolitiFact answers reader questions about the Big Beautiful Bill • July 16, 2025 Ask PolitiFact: How will the Republican megabill affect Social Security’s future solvency? • July 3, 2025 Trump and Musk’s public attacks on each other add to questions about DOGE’s accomplishments, future • June 5, 2025 The facts behind the 19 programs President Donald Trump described as ‘waste’ By Grace Abels, Maria Ramirez Uribe • March 12, 2025 Elon Musk claims ‘massive’ Social Security fraud. How much money is actually lost to fraud, waste? By Amy Sherman, Louis Jacobson • March 12, 2025 How does the US spend taxpayer money? What to know as DOGE, Elon Musk look for cuts By Louis Jacobson • February 24, 2025 DOGE touts billions in canceled government contracts. Where are the numbers coming from? By Caleb McCullough • February 21, 2025 Latest promises about Federal Budget Donald Trump Provide record-breaking military funding Donald Trump Create a “government efficiency commission” to find fraud, improper payments As DOGE looks to cut costs, it exaggerates savings | February 25, 2025 Donald Trump Challenge limits on the president’s ability to cut federal spending Trump administration memo freezing federal funds kicks off legal battle over impoundment power | January 29, 2025 Donald Trump Cut the federal budget every year Donald Trump Cut off federal funding for NPR Joe Biden Help state and local governments prevent budget shortfalls American Rescue Plan includes $350 billion for states, localities | March 16, 2021 Joe Biden Restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood Promise Kept: Planned Parenthood regained federal funding under Biden administration | November 20, 2024 Joe Biden Repeal Hyde Amendment Joe Biden fails to repeal Hyde Amendment during presidency | November 26, 2024 Donald Trump Take no salary Recent salary donations go to the Health Department | July 15, 2020 Donald Trump Adopt the penny plan Trump abandons promise to cut spending 1% a year | July 15, 2020 Donald Trump Balance the federal budget ‘fairly quickly’ Federal deficit isn’t shrinking; it’s growing | December 5, 2018 Donald Trump Eliminate wasteful spending in every department The President can’t change the organization of every department | July 15, 2020 Latest promises about Federal Budget
Donald Trump Create a “government efficiency commission” to find fraud, improper payments As DOGE looks to cut costs, it exaggerates savings | February 25, 2025
Donald Trump Challenge limits on the president’s ability to cut federal spending Trump administration memo freezing federal funds kicks off legal battle over impoundment power | January 29, 2025
Joe Biden Help state and local governments prevent budget shortfalls American Rescue Plan includes $350 billion for states, localities | March 16, 2021
Joe Biden Restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood Promise Kept: Planned Parenthood regained federal funding under Biden administration | November 20, 2024
Joe Biden Repeal Hyde Amendment Joe Biden fails to repeal Hyde Amendment during presidency | November 26, 2024
Donald Trump Adopt the penny plan Trump abandons promise to cut spending 1% a year | July 15, 2020
Donald Trump Balance the federal budget ‘fairly quickly’ Federal deficit isn’t shrinking; it’s growing | December 5, 2018
Donald Trump Eliminate wasteful spending in every department The President can’t change the organization of every department | July 15, 2020