Ohio Republican Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz met in an Oct. 1 vice presidential debate hosted by CBS Information that was cordial and heavy on coverage dialogue.
It was a hanging change from the Sept. 10 debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, a matchup that usually devolved into private assaults.
Vance and Walz acknowledged occasional settlement with one another on coverage factors and respectfully addressed each other all through the controversy. However additionally they blamed one another’s operating mates for issues dealing with the U.S., together with immigration and inflation, with Walz pointing to Trump’s insurance policies and Vance asking why Harris hasn’t executed her insurance policies whereas vp.
The moderators, “CBS Night Information” anchor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan, had stated they deliberate to encourage candidates to fact-check one another, however generally made clarifying feedback after candidates’ solutions. In addition they pressed the candidates after they evaded solutions, inflicting Walz to say he “misspoke” up to now about being in China’s Tiananmen Sq. in the course of the lethal 1989 protests.
The candidates sparred on quite a few subjects, together with immigration, college shootings, reproductive rights and the financial system. We fact-checked a number of of their statements.
Immigration
Vance: “We have now 320,000 youngsters that the Division of Homeland Safety has successfully misplaced.”
This isn’t what a federal oversight report stated.
The declare refers to a federal oversight report about unaccompanied minors — youngsters who got here to the U.S. with no mother or father and guardian. The report talked about 32,000 youngsters who failed to look for his or her immigration court docket hearings and 291,000 youngsters who Immigration and Customs Enforcement had not served a “Discover to Seem.”
A Discover to Seem is a charging doc authorities problem and file in immigration court docket to start out elimination proceedings. The report stated that by not issuing these notices to the kids, Immigration and Customs Enforcement limits its possibilities of verifying their security after they’re launched by the federal authorities.
The report led Republican lawmakers and conservative information retailers to say that Immigration and Customs Enforcement “misplaced” the kids or that they’re “lacking.” However the report didn’t make that declare.
Iran
Vance: “Iran, which launched this assault (on Israel), has acquired over $100 billion and unfrozen property, due to the Kamala Harris administration.”
False.
Below President Barack Obama, Iran did take possession of $100 billion in unfrozen property after the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump later overturned. However Harris was not concerned within the Obama administration.
One thing that occurred on Biden and Harris’ watch was a hostage-release settlement with Iran that was imagined to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian property. There isn’t any proof that any of the $6 billion reached Iran.
In August 2023, the U.S. introduced an settlement with Iran to safe freedom for 5 U.S. residents who’d been detained within the nation in trade for permitting Iran to entry $6 billion of its personal funds that had been frozen in South Korean banks.
The cash consisted of Iranian oil income frozen since 2019, when Trump banned Iranian oil exports and sanctioned its banking sector. It was not U.S. taxpayer cash. In April 2024, Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo stated that these funds had been frozen after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist assaults on Israel and had not reached Iran.
Walz: “When Iranian missiles did fall close to U.S. troops they usually acquired traumatic mind accidents, Donald Trump wrote it off as ‘complications.’”
True.
Walz was referring to a Jan. 8, 2020, Iran assault on U.S. troopers in Iraq. Greater than 100 troopers have been identified with traumatic mind accidents, in response to the Pentagon.
Trump has repeatedly referred to as the accidents “complications.”
In 2020, Trump stated he had “heard that that they had complications” and added it “shouldn’t be very critical.” Trump repeated this declare in a press convention Oct. 1 in Wisconsin.
After Iran attacked Israel Oct. 1, Trump responded to a query about whether or not he ought to have been stronger on Iran after the 2020 assault that injured U.S. troops. He stated: “What does injured imply? You imply as a result of that they had a headache as a result of the bombs by no means hit the fort?”
Well being care
Vance: “Donald Trump might have destroyed the (Reasonably priced Care Act). As an alternative, he labored in a bipartisan manner to make sure that Individuals had entry to inexpensive care.”
As president, Trump labored to undermine and repeal the Reasonably priced Care Act. He lower tens of millions of {dollars} in federal funding for ACA outreach and navigators who assist folks join well being protection. He enabled the sale of short-term well being plans that don’t adjust to the ACA client protections and allowed them to be offered for longer durations, which siphoned folks away from the well being legislation’s marketplaces.
His administration backed state Medicaid waivers that imposed first-ever work necessities, decreasing enrollment. He additionally ended insurance coverage firm subsidies that helped offset prices for low-income enrollees, and he backed an unsuccessful repeal of the landmark 2010 well being legislation. He additionally backed the demise of a penalty imposed for failing to buy medical health insurance.
Reasonably priced Care Act enrollment declined by greater than 2 million folks throughout Trump’s presidency, and the variety of uninsured Individuals rose by 2.3 million, together with 726,000 youngsters, from 2016 to 2019, the U.S. Census Bureau reported; that features three years of Trump’s presidency.
Mission 2025
Walz: “Their Mission 2025 is gonna have a registry of pregnancies.”
False.
Mission 2025 recommends that states submit extra detailed abortion reporting to the federal authorities. It requires extra details about how and when abortions occurred, in addition to different statistics for miscarriages and stillbirths.
The handbook doesn’t point out, nor name for, a brand new federal company tasked with registering pregnant ladies.
Financial system
Walz: “There was an $8 trillion enhance within the nationwide debt, the most important ever.”
Half True.
Trying on the enhance in federal debt on a president’s watch, Trump at present ranks first for debt accrued in a single time period, at $7.8 trillion. Nonetheless, President Joe Biden is projected to cross Trump’s complete by the point he leaves workplace in January 2025.
Utilizing a distinct methodology — counting how a lot future debt a president’s actions created — Trump’s insurance policies are projected to create roughly double the quantity of future debt as Biden’s.
Power
Walz: “We’re producing extra pure fuel and extra oil at any time than we ever have.”
True.
U.S. pure fuel manufacturing has reached new highs throughout Joe Biden’s presidency, as has U.S. crude oil manufacturing, U.S. Power Info Administration knowledge exhibits.
Taxes
Walz: “Donald Trump hasn’t paid any federal tax within the final 15 years. The final yr as president.”
Largely False.
Trump paid no federal earnings tax some years, together with his final yr as president, however not yearly within the final 15 years — and we don’t know what he’s paid since 2020 as a result of his tax returns haven’t been made public.
In September 2020, The New York Occasions reported that it obtained copies of Trump’s tax returns. They confirmed that Trump paid $641,000 in 2015, $750 in federal earnings taxes in each 2016 and 2017, and, as of that 2020 report, “no earnings taxes in any respect in 10 of the earlier 15 years.”
In 2022, the Home Methods and Means Committee launched Trump’s tax returns from 2015 to 2020. In response to these returns, Trump reported paying $999,456 in taxes in 2018, $133,445 in taxes in 2019 and $0 in taxes in 2020, ABC Information reported.
Walz: Trump “gave the tax cuts that predominantly went to the highest class. What occurred there was an $8 trillion enhance within the nationwide debt, the most important ever.”
Largely True.
Saying which earnings class earned a higher share of the tax cuts varies relying on the yr studied.
A 2017 evaluation of the Republican tax legislation by the nonpartisan City-Brookings Tax Coverage Heart stated that by 2027, the tax invoice would ship 82.8% of its advantages to the highest 1% of earnings earners.
The distribution of the advantages earlier than 2027 additionally skewed towards wealthier Individuals, however by a decrease proportion. For example, in 2018, the invoice was projected to ship 20.5% of the advantages to the highest 1%, the middle’s evaluation confirmed. And as late as 2025, 25.3% of the advantages would stream to the highest 1%.
Trying on the enhance in federal debt on a president’s watch, Trump at present ranks first for debt accrued in a single time period, at $7.8 trillion. Nonetheless, Biden is projected to cross Trump’s complete by the point he leaves workplace in January 2025.
Utilizing a distinct methodology — counting how a lot future debt a president’s actions created — Trump’s insurance policies are projected to build up roughly double the quantity of future debt as Biden’s.
Please proceed to verify again as this story is up to date, and refresh this web page to be sure to are getting our newest fact-checks.
PolitiFact Govt Director Aaron Sharockman, Chief Correspondent Louis Jacobson, Senior Correspondent Amy Sherman, Employees Writers Grace Abels, Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu, Maria Briceño, Jeff Cercone, Madison Czopek, Marta Campabadal Graus, Samantha Putterman, Sara Swann, Loreben Tuquero, Maria Ramirez Uribe, Researcher Caryn Baird, KFF Well being Information Senior Editor Stephanie Stapleton and KFF Well being Information Senior Correspondent Stephanie Armour contributed to this story.
Our debate fact-checks depend on each new and beforehand reported work. We hyperlink to previous work every time attainable. In some circumstances, a fact-check score could also be completely different tonight than in previous variations. In these circumstances, both particulars of what the candidate stated, or how the candidate stated it, differed sufficient that we evaluated it anew.
