Verbatim federal stories

• TOP STORIES
• FEDERAL
• STATE
  • States A-D
    • Verbatim Alabama fact checks
    • Verbatim Alaska fact checks
    • Verbatim Arizona fact checks
    • Verbatim Arkansas fact checks
    • Verbatim California fact checks
    • Verbatim Colorado fact checks
    • Verbatim Connecticut fact checks
    • Verbatim Delaware fact checks
  • States F-K
    • Verbatim Florida fact checks
    • Verbatim Georgia fact checks
    • Verbatim Hawaii fact checks
    • Verbatim Idaho fact checks
    • Verbatim Illinois fact checks
    • Verbatim Indiana fact checks
    • Verbatim Iowa fact checks
    • Verbatim Kansas fact checks
    • Verbatim Kentucky fact checks
  • States L-M
    • Verbatim Louisiana fact checks
    • Verbatim Maine fact checks
    • Verbatim Maryland fact checks
    • Verbatim Massachusetts fact checks
    • Verbatim Michigan fact checks
    • Verbatim Minnesota fact checks
    • Verbatim Mississippi fact checks
    • Verbatim Missouri fact checks
    • Verbatim Montana fact checks
  • States N
    • Verbatim Nebraska fact checks
    • Verbatim Nevada fact checks
    • Verbatim New Hampshire fact checks
    • Verbatim New Jersey fact checks
    • Verbatim New Mexico fact checks
    • Verbatim New York fact checks
    • Verbatim North Carolina fact checks
    • Verbatim North Dakota fact checks
  • States O-S
    • Verbatim Ohio fact checks
    • Verbatim Oklahoma fact checks
    • Verbatim Oregon fact checks
    • Verbatim Pennsylvania fact checks
    • Verbatim Rhode Island fact checks
    • Verbatim South Carolina fact checks
    • Verbatim South Dakota fact checks
  • States T-Z
    • Verbatim Tennessee fact checks
    • Verbatim Texas fact checks
    • Verbatim Utah fact checks
    • Verbatim Vermont fact checks
    • Verbatim Virginia fact checks
    • Verbatim Washington fact checks
    • Verbatim West Virginia fact checks
    • Verbatim Wisconsin fact checks
    • Verbatim Wyoming fact checks
• LOCAL
• BY DATE
  • 2017
    • JANUARY 2017
    • FEBRUARY 2017
    • MARCH 2017
    • APRIL 2017
    • MAY 2017
  • 2016
    • JANUARY 2016
    • FEBRUARY 2016
    • MARCH 2016
    • APRIL 2016
    • MAY 2016
    • JUNE 2016
    • JULY 2016
    • AUGUST 2016
    • SEPTEMBER 2016
    • OCTOBER 2016
    • NOVEMBER 2016
    • DECEMBER 2016
  • 2015
    • OCTOBER 2015
    • NOVEMBER 2015
    • DECEMBER 2015
• POLICY
  • Agricultural policy
  • Budget policy
  • Campaign finance policy
  • Criminal justice policy
  • Defense and foreign policy
  • Drug policy
  • Education policy
  • Energy policy
  • Environmental policy
  • Gun policy
  • Government finance policy
  • Government regulation policy
  • Healthcare policy
  • Immigration policy
  • Tax policy
• ABOUT
• SUBMIT A CLAIM

Verbatim Federal Stories

Verbatim fact check: Rep. Mia Love on human trafficking April 27, 2017 According to Representative Mia Love (R-Utah), the threat of human trafficking has become “epidemic.” Estimates of human trafficking incidents range from thousands to millions worldwide. Human trafficking rates are much lower than those of other violent crimes. Researchers say that the low numbers may be the result of underreporting or difficulties distinguishing cases of human trafficking from other crimes.

Verbatim fact check: Did healthcare premiums for families double under George W. Bush? April 25, 2017 At a town hall debate on health care, Sen. Bernie Sanders claimed, "if you were a family of four during the eight years under George Bush, your premiums doubled." One employer survey found that the average annual employee contribution to cover a family of four increased 54 percent between 2001 and 2008, and another found a 27 percent increase between 2003 and 2008.

Verbatim fact check: Sean Spicer on Trump White House visitor logs April 21, 2017 Press Secretary Sean Spicer defended the Trump administration's decision to not release White House visitor logs ahead of schedule: “We're following the law as both the Presidential Records Act and the Federal Records Act prescribe it." Is he correct? Yes. The U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in 2013 that White House visitor logs for the president, his advisers, and immediate staff are governed by the Presidential Records Act, and need only be made public beginning five years after the end of an administration.

Verbatim fact check: Is Bob Gray right about immigrant skill levels? April 14, 2017 Bob Gray, a Republican candidate for Georgia's 6th Congressional District, claimed: "Unfortunately, only 1 in every 15 legal immigrants arrives in the United States with a skills-based visa. The majority of the remaining immigrants are either low-skilled or unskilled." One in 15 lawful permanent residents received employment-based visas. The majority of remaining lawful permanent residents were not necessarily low-skilled or unskilled. Rather, they were authorized to enter the U.S. under a non-employment related preference category.

Verbatim fact check: Did Karen Handel reduce the Georgia secretary of state's budget by 20 percent? April 13, 2017 The Value in Electing Women political action committee claimed that Georgia’s former Secretary of State Karen Handel reduced the department’s budget by nearly 20%. While she was in office, the department’s budget decreased by 24.1 percent. At least 7.3 percent of that reduction is attributable to statewide budget changes. Handel was responsible for implementing those across-the-board cuts as well as initiating other cost-cutting.

Verbatim fact check: Would the Clean Power Plan mitigate climate change? April 3, 2017 In opposition to an executive order directing the EPA to reconsider the Clean Power Plan, a coalition of attorneys general claimed: "Addressing our country’s largest source of carbon pollution … is both required under the Clean Air Act and essential to mitigating climate change’s growing harm." The EPA has projected that the CPP would reduce CO2 emissions by hundreds of tons per year, but former EPA administrator Gina McCarthy told Congress that the reductions would not make a measurable difference in climate change.

Verbatim fact check: Did 14.5 million gain health insurance through Medicaid expansion? March 24, 2017 Rep. Buddy Carter claimed that "[of] the 20 million who have gained insurance as a result of Obamacare, 14 and a half million of those have come through Medicaid expansion." Rep. Carter is incorrect, and his mistake is a common one. 20 million represents net health care coverage gains as of early 2016, not number of distinct individuals who gained coverage through government exchanges and Medicaid expansion. HHS estimates that 11.2 million adults (not 14.5 million as Carter claimed) were enrolled in Medicaid under the expansion criteria as of 2016.

Verbatim fact check: Was economic growth sluggish during the Obama presidency? March 22, 2017 A C-SPAN presidential historian survey rated former President Obama as 8th-best in economic management. An editorial in The Oklahoman responded: "the sluggish growth of the Obama years is one of the major strikes against his presidency." Of the previous 11 expansion periods, GDP grew at the slowest rate under the Obama administration, and employment and salaries grew more during five other expansion periods.

Verbatim fact check: Did 52,000 Canadians leave Canada for healthcare in 2014?

March 9, 2017

At a CNN debate between Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Bernie Sanders, Cruz responded to what he said is Sanders' frequent praise of the Canadian healthcare system by claiming that "In 2014 over 52,000 Canadians left Canada to get health care in the United States and other countries." According to research by Fraser Institute, 45,619 Canadians sought non-emergency medical treatment outside of Canada in 2015, the latest year of available data. However, 52,513 Canadians did so in 2014, as Cruz claimed.

Verbatim fact check: Did President Trump make it harder to save for retirement and for first-time homebuyers to buy a home?

March 8, 2017

DNC Chair Tom Perez claimed that President Trump “made it harder for first-time homebuyers to buy a home” and “tried to make it harder for people to save for retirement.” Perez apparently was referring to two actions: 1) Suspension of a pending reduction in FHA mortgage insurance premiums; and 2) review of a regulation that would require all retirement advisers to act as fiduciaries. Neither the premium rate reduction nor the fiduciary rule were in effect when the president took action.

Verbatim fact check: Do 67 percent of Americans think the EPA should stay the same or be strengthened? March 6, 2017 In response to reports that the Trump administration is seeking to decrease the Environmental Protection Agency's budget, Elizabeth Thompson, vice president for climate and political affairs at the Environmental Defense Fund, said in a statement that this "goes against the wishes of the American public—67 percent of whom think EPA should stay the same or should be strengthened." Thompson correctly cited the results of a January 2017 Ipsos/Reuters poll. Other polls have found that a majority of Americans support government efforts to protect the environment, although favorability and job ratings of the EPA have been mixed.

Verbatim fact check: Did federal debt fall over President Trump's first month in office? March 2, 2017 President Trump tweeted that over his first month in office the federal debt fell $12 billion, compared to a $200 billion increase over former President Obama's first month. Verbatim verified Trump's figures, though small fluctuations in the size of the federal debt are constant.

Verbatim fact check: Did Harry Reid make it easier to confirm President Trump's Cabinet and Supreme Court nominees? February 28, 2017 Sen. Ted Cruz thanked Sen. Harry Reid for lowering the number of votes needed to confirm a presidential nominee, saying the change allowed three of President Trump's Cabinet nominees to be approved with fewer than 60 votes, and it might be used to confirm Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. The change allowed six Trump nominees to be confirmed, but the new rule does not apply to U.S. Supreme Court confirmations.

Verbatim fact check: Is Sen. Elizabeth Warren right about stagnating wages and rising costs? February 21, 2017 Commenting on the election of President Donald Trump, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wrote, “The truth is that people are right to be angry. Angry that wages have been stagnant for a generation, while basic costs like housing, health care, and child care have skyrocketed.” According to data compiled by the federal government, Warren is incorrect about wages, but she is correct that costs for housing, health care, and child care have all risen.

Verbatim fact check: Did President Trump's executive order include "a clause making it a crime to help an undocumented immigrant"? February 17, 2017 Referring to President Trump’s executive order, “Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States,” Univision's Jorge Cancino claimed that it contains "a clause making it a crime to help an undocumented immigrant." However, executive orders are statements of policy and have no power to make law. The clause referenced by Cancino is a directive by Trump to the Secretary of Homeland Security to enforce existing immigration law, in this case the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

Verbatim fact check: Has Ryan Zinke changed his position on climate change? February 7, 2017 Writing for Mother Jones in December, Tim Murphy stated that Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of the Department of the Interior, has “demonstrated a pointed skepticism about climate change," but that "It wasn't always that way." Zinke signed a letter in 2010 urging then-President Obama and congressional leaders to act on renewable energy and climate change. The letter does not address the extent to which human activity influences climate change, a question that has consistently been the crux of Zinke’s position. In 2009, Zinke said that the extent of human influence has not been determined, which is consistent with his more recent statements.

Verbatim fact check: Did the Supreme Court strike down major parts of the Voting Rights Act? February 2, 2017 During a confirmation hearing for Jeff Sessions’ Attorney General appointment, Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono referred to “the Supreme Court's decision that did away with major parts of the Voting Rights Act.” In Shelby County v. Holder, the Supreme Court struck down section 4(b), which prescribes the formula for determining which states and political subdivisions are subject to federal preclearance for new voting laws under Section 5. The decision rendered Section 5 unenforceable until an updated formula is established, but it did not do away with Section 5.

Verbatim fact check: Did 60 percent of Andrew Puzder's company's restaurants violate the Fair Labor Standards Act? January 30, 2017 Secretary of Labor nominee Andrew Puzder is facing accusations that CKE Restaurants, Inc., regularly violated labor law during his tenure as CEO. In The Hill, John Logan claimed, “According to a major study by the Department of Labor, 60 percent of CKE restaurants had at least one Fair Labor Standards Act violation.” There was no Labor Department study. The 60 percent figure is from a Bloomberg BNA analysis, which examined Labor Department reports on 60 of CKE’s 2,935 Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr., restaurants.

Verbatim fact check: Does Betsy DeVos owe Ohio taxpayers $5 million? January 26, 2017 In press release announcing his opposition to the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, claimed DeVos owed Ohio taxpayers $5 million. Brown is incorrect. He was referring to unpaid fines levied against a PAC, for which DeVos had served as a director. But Ohio law does not hold officers of a PAC personally liable for fines levied against the PAC.

Verbatim fact check: Has Scott Pruitt opposed all laws providing minimal environmental protection? January 25, 2017 Bishops of the Episcopal Church of Massachusetts expressed opposition to the nomination of Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "We wonder why a person who has consistently and adamantly opposed all laws and policies that provide even minimal ‘protection’ to the environment should be entrusted with leading such an agency." This is inaccurate. Although he has challenged federal environmental regulations, Pruitt has also supported various initiatives.

Verbatim fact check: Are government estimates of health insurance coverage based on survey data? January 20, 2017 A Heritage Foundation video questioned government estimates of the number of people insured by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). "The administration’s estimates are based purely on survey data, not actual calculations on the change in coverage in different markets." The Department of Health and Human Services stated in a March 2016 report that its latest estimate of coverage provided under the ACA is based on data obtained from two surveys: the National Health Interview Survey and the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. Verbatim fact check: Could 36,000 people die if the ACA is partially repealed? January 19, 2017 Ian Millhiser, Justice Editor at Think Progress, recently claimed that “Nearly 36,000 people could die every year, year after year, if the incoming president signs legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act.” He said he based his conclusion on two studies: one predicting that 29.8 million people will lose health insurance if parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are repealed, and another that calculated one less death per year for every 830 adults that gained health insurance under Massachusetts’ reform plan. The methodology of each study precludes it as the basis of a credible prediction about the effects from repeal of Obamacare. Verbatim fact check: Have presidents before Donald Trump appointed family members to White House positions? January 17, 2017 In a Facebook post, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich criticized Donald Trump’s intention to appoint his son-in-law Jared Kushner as a senior advisor to the president. Reich wrote, "Kings and despots install family members around them, to protect their power and money. Presidents do not – at least not until now." Reich is wrong. At least 11 presidents have appointed family members to executive branch positions. Verbatim fact check: Would it be almost unprecedented for Donald Trump to terminate the Iran nuclear deal? January 16, 2017 During an interview with the BBC, CIA Director John Brennan said, it “would be almost unprecedented,” for Donald Trump to terminate an international agreement made by a previous administration, such as the Iran nuclear deal. Brennan is incorrect. At least nine presidents have terminated international agreements. Verbatim fact check: Did the EPA change its conclusion on the impacts of fracking? January 12, 2017 The draft of an EPA report noted that researchers identified instances of local impact on drinking water resources, but “did not find evidence” of widespread, systemic impacts by fracking. The final report also identified local impacts, but it stated researchers could not calculate or estimate the extent of broader impacts because of “significant data gaps and uncertainties in the available data.” Verbatim fact check: Has Ryan Zinke repeatedly voted to block new national parks? January 9, 2017 Reacting to Ryan Zinke’s nomination as Secretary of the Interior, Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, said, “Mr. Zinke has repeatedly voted to block efforts to designate new national parks.” Zinke is a co-sponsor of HR 3946, which limits the President’s ability to designate national monuments, not national parks. He has also voted on amendments to bills which would limit funds for the designation of new national monuments, not national parks. Verbatim fact check: Has Ryan Zinke advocated for state control of energy development on federal lands? January 3, 2017 After Ryan Zinke’s nomination as Secretary of the Interior, National Parks Conservation Association president and CEO, Theresa Pierno, stated, “Mr. Zinke has advocated for state control of energy development on federal lands.” Zinke co-sponsored legislation empowering states to regulate energy development on federal lands, and also said that states have more expertise in resource development than the federal government. Verbatim fact check: Was Van Jones correct in calling the 2016 election a "white-lash"? January 2, 2017 As Donald Trump’s electoral victory appeared certain on election night, CNN’s Van Jones said, “This was a white-lash against a changing country. It was a white-lash against a black president, in part.” Exit polling indicates that white voters made up a slightly smaller proportion of the electorate in this election than in 2012. Donald Trump won a smaller percentage of white voters, and a larger percentage of black, Latino, and Asian voters, than Mitt Romney did in 2012. Verbatim fact check: Are there places where a single insurer is offering coverage through ACA exchanges? December 29, 2016 New York Times reporters Reed Abelson and Margot Sanger-Katz claimed that there are many locations across the United States where only one insurer is offering coverage through the government exchanges. They are correct; according to a recent Health and Human Services report and data from Healthcare.gov, a single insurer is offering coverage through ACA exchanges in five entire states and more than 1,000 counties. Verbatim fact check: Was Hurricane Matthew a climate-related event? December 23, 2016 In a Christian Science Monitor commentary, Ben Lilliston, director of climate strategies at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, noted the “rapidly rising costs to governments of dealing with climate-related events like Hurricane Matthew." But there has not been a tested determination of the storm's precise cause, and research is inconclusive about whether storms have increased in either number or severity due to climate change. Verbatim fact check: Are people who have stopped looking for work counted in the unemployment rate? December 23, 2016 Donald Trump criticized the relatively low unemployment rate as deceptive, saying, "the millions of people that gave up looking for work...they're not considered in that number that's less than 5 percent." Trump is correct. The unemployment rate does not count people who have not looked for work in four weeks. Verbatim fact check: Have most ACA exchange customers chosen bronze or silver plans? December 16, 2016 Sen. Johnny Isakson claimed that most of the people with insurance through government exchanges chose bronze plans while a Politico reporter claimed that most chose silver. Isakson was incorrect. Nearly 70 percent of plan holders have silver plans. Verbatim fact check: Do ACA premium hikes affect a "relatively small number of Americans"? November 22, 2016 Media outlets have claimed that only a small number of Americans will be affected by premium rate hikes averaging 22 percent under the Affordable Care Act. Although a majority of enrollees will not directly pay the higher premiums, the costs don’t disappear. They are shifted to taxpayers instead, as are billions of dollars in other ACA costs. Verbatim fact check: Did New Hampshire Governor Maggie Hassan vote to support sanctuary cities? November 5, 2016 In a debate on September 7, 2016, Senator Ayotte claimed that Governor Hassan voted to support “sanctuary cities” while a state senator. Is Ayotte’s claim accurate? Yes. In 2008, then-state Senator Hassan voted against Senate Bill 353 (SB 353), which would have prohibited New Hampshire and its subdivisions from serving as a sanctuary for illegal aliens. Verbatim fact check: Does Mike Gallagher support a plan to reduce Social Security benefits to the poverty line? November 3, 2016 Yes. Gallagher supports a plan by economist Andrew Biggs of the American Enterprise Institute that is intended to avert the looming insolvency of Social Security by setting a minimum benefit pegged to the poverty threshold of $950 per month. Verbatim fact check: Is Donald Trump right that the debt has doubled under President Barack Obama? October 10, 2016 America’s $14 trillion public debt was mentioned several times during the September 26, 2016, debate between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. In one instance, Trump claimed that the Obama Administration has “doubled [the debt] in a course of almost eight years.” Is that claim accurate? The public debt has doubled (in dollar terms) during President Obama’s tenure, but Congress shares responsibility with the White House for the increase. Verbatim fact check: Does congressional candidate Tom Nelson (D-WI) have a record of tax hikes and spending increases? September 29, 2016 Does Tom Nelson have a record of “pushing big tax hikes and spending increases” on Wisconsin taxpayers? That was the claim made by Republican Governor Scott Walker in August 2016, who endorsed Nelson’s Republican opponent, Mike Gallagher, in the state’s 8th district race. Verbatim researched Nelson’s history on taxes and spending, and found Governor Walker’s claim to be accurate. Verbatim fact check: Was Scott Garrett the only member of the U.S. House New Jersey delegation to vote against the Zadroga Act in 2010? September 26, 2016 The House voted on the bill three times in 2010. Garrett was the only member of the New Jersey delegation to vote against the bill in July and September. But he voted in December to approve a version amended in the Senate that was ultimately sent to the president and signed into law. Verbatim fact check: Did Sen. Richard Burr vote to cut Social Security? September 13, 2016 North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr is running for a third term, which he has said will be his last. He is facing a challenge from Democrat Deborah Ross. At an August 4th event, Ross sought to make the case that Burr posed a threat to Social Security. "He has voted to cut Social Security," Ross was quoted as saying by The Fayetteville Observer. Is Ross’ claim accurate? No. The votes cited by the Ross campaign were procedural measures that had no direct effect on Social Security funding or benefits. Verbatim fact check: Has Republican Sen. John Boozman enacted only five bills in his congressional career? August 26, 2016 In an August 8 campaign ad, Conner Eldridge has criticized John Boozman for “mailing it in” during his time in Congress. “And after 14 years in Washington, he’s only passed five bills naming five post offices,” the ad states. Is it true? Not quite. Based on information from Congress.gov, four (not five) of the 211 bills Boozman has sponsored have been enacted. The Eldridge campaign erroneously included a fifth bill that actually was sponsored by another senator, and listed the wrong number for one of Boozman’s bills. Verbatim fact check: Has New Hampshire Congressional candidate Carol Shea-Porter consistently opposed Trade Promotion Authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership? August 20, 2016 Yes. While in Congress, Shea-Porter joined other Democrats in signing at least four letters to Obama Administration officials and others expressing concern over the potential adverse impacts of Trade Promotion Authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. She was also a member of the House Trade Working Group, which has opposed the prevailing “international trade model,” including the 2007 accord with Peru, which she voted against. Verbatim fact check: Did Frank Guinta switch his position on the Trans-Pacific Partnership? August 19, 2016 Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.) came out against the TPP in a July 27 video. Democratic candidate Carol Shea-Porter claimed he had changed his position because he had signed on to a March 2015 letter and voted in favor of TPA, also in 2015. But the March 2015 letter simply expressed support for free trade, and did not endorse TPP. The letter also urged the president to fight for passage of TPA. While Guinta did vote for TPA, his support for TPA does not translate into support for TPP. He can still vote against the deal. Verbatim fact check: Have 4.7 million insurance policies been cancelled as a result of the Affordable Care Act? August 17, 2016 U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar claimed that 4.7 million policies have been cancelled as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Verbatim was unable to identify an official tracking of policy cancellations related to Obamacare, and found that there are a variety of estimates. Some of the estimates do include millions of policies, but the exact number appears to be unknown. The 4.7 million figure cited by Gosar came from an Associated Press report. Verbatim fact check: Have declines in state funding driven up tuition at public universities? August 10, 2016 State funding for public higher education has indeed declined in recent years, and tuition revenues have increased. However, those two data points alone do not establish a cause-and-effect relationship between declining state funding and higher tuition. Other variables, including higher spending and increases in federal funding should also be considered. Verbatim fact check: Was Russ Feingold the lone U.S. Senate opponent of the USA Patriot Act? August 8, 2016 Feingold was the only Senator to vote against the original USA Patriot Act, which was approved 98-1 on October 25, 2001. The House earlier approved the legislation by a vote of 357-66, with 62 Democrats voting against it along with three Republicans and Independent Rep. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Verbatim fact check: Did Deborah Ross oppose legislation to create a sex offender registry while she led the North Carolina ACLU? August 5, 2016 Ross was twice quoted by the media as ”seriously concerned” about the possible ramifications of a sex offender registry. She also cited the sex offender registry legislation as a defeat for the NC-ACLU in a legislative memo to her staff. During a February interview she was asked about her time “lobbying against creating a Sex Offender Registry in North Carolina.” In response, Ross only stated her current support for the registry. However, Ross disavowed the claim in an unaired portion of a June 3 interview. Two former members of the N.C. Senate, who authored sex offender registry legislation, have also defended Ross. Verbatim fact check: Did violent crime increase 10 percent in California under Attorney General Kamala Harris? July 29, 2016 Is it true? Yes. According to a report released July 1, incidents of violent crime in California—which include homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault—rose 10 percent between 2014 and 2015. Verbatim fact check: Are you allowed to set up a super PAC if you are the president? July 27, 2016 Saying he would oppose Ted Cruz’s re-election in 2018, Donald Trump told a crowd, "[M]aybe I'll set up a Super PAC if he decides to run. Are you allowed to set up a super PAC if you are the president to fight somebody?" The answer is yes, but it would be subject to limitations that would not apply to a super PAC established by a non-officeholder. Verbatim fact check: Did Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke equivocate on selling or transferring public lands? July 12, 2016 Did Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke equivocate on selling or transferring public lands? No. While he voted for a bill that would allow states to manage up to 4 million acres of National Forest System land, the bill does not authorize the sale or transfer of federal lands to states. Verbatim fact check: Has Chuck Schumer ever held a job in the private sector? June 24, 2016 Is it true that Schumer has never held a private-sector job after graduating from college? Yes. Schumer’s official biography states that after graduating from law school he won a seat in the New York State House and has served in elected office ever since. But he did hold at least one job in the private sector before college. Verbatim fact check: Would it be "totally illegal" for delegates pledged to Donald Trump to vote for another candidate at the Republican National Convention? June 17, 2016 While fifteen states have laws that reference how bound delegates should vote at a national convention, Trump won 542 delegates in those states, meaning 1,930 of the convention's delegates are either not pledged to Trump or are not covered by any laws regarding how they vote. That is 693 more delegates than a candidate needs to win the nomination. Verbatim fact check: Did the U.S. Supreme Court's Heller decision prohibit regulation of firearms? June 10, 2016 We found Clinton’s claim that the District of Columbia v. Heller decision prohibits federal, state, and local governments from imposing “reasonable regulations” on the Second Amendment to be false. Verbatim fact check: Did the media call the Democratic primary too early? June 7, 2016 Yes. Superdelegates do not vote for a nominee until the Democratic National Convention, which begins July 25. Since superdelegates are free to vote however they want, some could change their minds. Verbatim fact check: Would funding for the military, border security, and veterans’ services have ceased without the 2016 omnibus bill? June 7, 2016 While some discretionary funded programs under DOD, Homeland Security and the VA would have been suspended, many would have continued. Additionally, other types of federal spending would have remained unaffected by the shutdown. Verbatim fact check: Do "30 million Americans remain uninsured"? June 3, 2016 Yes. The uninsured rate varies substantially by state, and by demographic group. But national estimates place the total number of uninsured at approximately 30 million. Verbatim fact check: Did Ted Strickland cut spending for certain programs when he was governor of Ohio in 2009? June 1, 2016 Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) is accused challenger Ted Strickland, former governor of Ohio, of having cut funding for certain safety net programs in the 2010-2011 fiscal years. We determined that Portman's claim is only partially accurate. Verbatim fact check: Does research back a claim by Rep. Loretta Sanchez that "anywhere between 5 and 20 percent" of Muslims support a caliphate? May 27, 2016 There is polling data that complements Sanchez’s claim, but we have not identified research that proves or disproves it. To the best of our knowledge, Sanchez has not identified the source of the figures cited in her claim. Verbatim fact check: Did New York Assemblyman Keith Wright raise a “staggering amount of real estate money” for his congressional race? May 23, 2016 We found that Wright has raised at least $134,400 from individuals and businesses engaged in real estate out of a total amount of funding of $587,294 raised between February 17, 2015, and March 31, 2016. That represents nearly 23 percent of his total funding for that period, which is the largest single share by industry. Verbatim fact check: Did GOP Rep. Steve Knight vote to allow federal contractors “to discriminate against the LGBT community”? May 16, 2016 We determined that Knight voted for an amendment that would, if enacted, exempt faith-based employers from some anti-discrimination labor laws. However, neither sexual preference nor gender identity is cited in the statutes from which these religious-affiliated groups are exempted. Verbatim fact check: Is it too late for an independent presidential candidate to get on the ballot for the November election? May 13, 2016 After examining requirements and deadlines for appearing on the November general election ballot in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, we confirmed it’s still possible for an independent candidate to qualify for enough state ballots to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to become president. Verbatim fact check: Was the 1994 crime bill a primary driver of mass incarceration of African American men? May 12, 2016 While the act did contain several "tough-on-crime" measures, the rise in federal and state prison populations—both in total and for African American males—was already underway by 1994. Verbatim fact check: Has U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers voted with "Obama ever since she's been" in Congress? April 30, 2016 Has U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers been a reliable vote for the president as a member of the House? Her voting record suggests otherwise. Ellmers has voted against Obama between 74 and 90 percent of the time every year she has been in Congress. Verbatim fact check: Did Indiana Rep. Todd Young vote for "more debt and deficit spending"? April 29, 2016 A campaign manager for Young's opponent Marlin Stutzman’s claimed that Young is "voting for more debt and deficit spending." An examination of Young’s record on debt and deficit spending, however, shows that the claim distorts Young’s record. Verbatim fact check: Can GOP convention rules be changed so that a candidate with only a plurality of delegates wins the nomination? April 26, 2016 Can the rules be changed so that the candidate with a plurality, rather than a majority, of delegates wins the nomination? Yes. Any convention rule can be changed if a majority of the delegates vote in favor of doing so. But long-standing tradition makes it unlikely that the threshold for victory will be lowered. Verbatim fact check: Does Merrick Garland have the most federal judicial experience of any Supreme Court nominee in history? April 22, 2016 With 19 years on the federal bench, Merrick Garland does have more federal judicial experience than any previous Supreme Court nominee. But regularly selecting federal judges as nominees is a relatively recent development in the history of the high court. Verbatim fact check: Have the rules governing the 2016 Republican National Convention been established? April 19, 2016 Have the rules governing the 2016 GOP Convention been established? No. But there is a process in place for how those rules are established and who will make those decisions. Verbatim fact check: Is hard money a larger share of political spending than outside money? April 14, 2016 Is hard money is a greater share of political spending than outside money? We found the claim was true. Verbatim fact check: Is Hillary Clinton right about guns "that end up committing crimes in New York" coming from Vermont? April 12, 2016 Clinton's claim is technically correct, but her presentation of the facts distorts reality. Verbatim fact check: Does violating House ethics rules constitute breaking the law? April 8, 2016 Representative Mike Honda claims that "violating an ethics rule is not breaking a law." Is he right? Verbatim fact check: Did Nevada Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson vote to raise taxes after promising not to? April 4, 2016 Nevada Senate Majority Leader Michael Roberson, who is running for higher office, promised to oppose tax increases when he was fist elected. Did he keep that promise? Verbatim fact check: Did Florida Congressman Curbelo vote for drastic cuts to education? March 24, 2016 Curbelo voted to freeze the maximum Pell Grant award for 10 years at $5,775, but we found the claim that he voted for "drastic cuts" to education to be inaccurate. Verbatim fact check: Did Iowa Congressman Rod Blum vote to cut Social Security benefits by 45 percent? March 22, 2016 No. We found the claim that those Blum's vote could lead to cuts in Social Security benefits “of as much as 45 percent” to be false. Verbatim fact check: Did U.S. Senator Mark Kirk vote against fixing military equipment? March 14, 2016 We found that the claim is technically accurate but somewhat misleading. Verbatim fact check: Did Catherine Cortez Masto take 36 trips in five years while attorney general of Nevada? March 7, 2016 We examine the NRSC's claims on this topic and find that from 2009 to 2014 Masto, a 2016 Senatorial candidate, took, on average, six trips per year. Verbatim fact check: Is Congressional candidate Bryan Caforio a recent resident of California's 25th Congressional District? March 3, 2016 We researched the claim and found that Caforio moved to the district in November 2015, a month before he announced his plans to run for office. Verbatim fact check: Are Bernie Sanders' chances of winning the Democratic nomination slipping away? February 26, 2016 Not quite. Many delegates and superdelegates remain up for grabs. Verbatim fact check: Would it be “unprecedented in recent history” for a vacancy on the Supreme Court to last a year? February 15, 2016 Harry Reid says it would be “unprecedented in recent history” for the Supreme Court to have a year-long vacancy on the bench. Verbatim fact check: Chris Christie "supported Common Core"? February 4, 2016 He did support Common Core in his first few years as governor. He reversed his position in 2015. Verbatim fact check: Did JFK campaign on tax cuts? January 27, 2016 They were part of his presidency but not the campaign. Verbatim fact check: Did Gary Johnson issue 750 vetoes as governor of New Mexico? January 27, 2016 Pretty close. We counted 739 in total. Verbatim fact check: Is the United States the only advanced economy that doesn’t mandate paid sick or maternity leave? January 26, 2016 We examine Democratic candidate Russ Feingold's claim and find it to be mostly true. Verbatim fact check: Does half of the U.S. live "in or near poverty"? January 26, 2016 No, according to most conventional measures and definitions of near poverty. Verbatim fact check: Do all the Republican presidential candidates support the repeal of Dodd-Frank? January 20, 2016 Some of them do, but the stances of others are less clear. Verbatim fact check: Do congressional incumbents rarely face challengers and almost always win despite low approval ratings? January 19, 2016 We examine U.S. House candidate Ro Khanna's claims on this topic. Verbatim fact check: Will three Supreme Court justices be past the court's average retirement age on election day? January 14, 2016 Yes, but the average age at which justices typically leave office has been steadily increasing. Verbatim fact check: New Jersey's "tax burden" January 7, 2016 A pro-Marco Rubio super PAC claims New Jersey's "tax burden" is the highest in the nation. True, but what does that mean? Verbatim fact check: Rob Portman on Ted Strickland's economic record January 5, 2016 Ohio lost more than 350,000 jobs under Strickland. But is the former governor to blame? Verbatim fact check: Joe Sestak on Pat Toomey and Syrian refugees December 23, 2015 Sestak mischaracterizes Toomey's stance on Syrian refugees. Verbatim fact check: How many miles of fence stand along the U.S.-Mexico border? December 23, 2015 A U.S. Senate candidate in Arizona says there are only 36 miles of fencing along the border. Verbatim fact check: Tammy Duckworth on Mark Kirk, mass incarceration and race December 17, 2015 Did Mark Kirk call for the mass incarceration of African Americans and suggest that "we just drive faster through African American neighborhoods"? Verbatim fact check: Getting the numbers right on Syrian refugees in Illinois' Senate race December 17, 2015 200,000 or 100,000? Verbatim fact check: Alan Grayson, amendments and legislative effectiveness December 11, 2015 How many amendments has Grayson passed and is that a useful measure of legislative effectiveness? Verbatim fact check: Did Ohio lose 300,000 manufacturing jobs because of NAFTA? December 3, 2015 The state lost more than 300,000 manufacturing jobs between 1994 and 2015, but NAFTA wasn't necessarily the cause. Verbatim fact check: Fact-checking David Vitter and John Bel Edwards on Syrian refugees in Louisiana November 20, 2015 Days before the general election, the focal point of the race shifts to Syria. Verbatim fact check: On legislative salaries in the Louisiana governor's race November 17, 2015 We look into four claims the candidates made about legislative salaries in a recent gubernatorial debate. Verbatim fact check: Fact-checking John Bel Edwards on David Vitter's legislative record November 13, 2015 Vitter has passed five bills into law in sixteen years. But how unique is that number? Verbatim fact check: When was the "motion to vacate the chair" rule last used in Congress? November 12, 2015 It was more recent than many think. Verbatim fact check: Fact-checking Ben Sasse's floor speech in the Senate on November 3, 2015 November 6, 2015 We examine two of the senator's statements on U.S. public opinion. Verbatim fact check: Up and down: federal deficits from 2007 to 2015 October 30, 2015 Did the deficit increase from 2007 to 2011 and decrease from 2012 to 2015? Verbatim fact check: Is NASA's budget less than 2 percent of the federal budget? October 30, 2015 About half a percent. Verbatim fact check: Do the Government Accountability Office's annual recommendations "go ignored" every year? October 25, 2015 About 20 percent of them have since 2011. Verbatim fact check: John Kasich and the 1982 midterm elections October 2, 2015 Was John Kasich the only Republican candidate in the House to unseat a Democratic incumbent in the 1982 midterm elections?