A look at false and misleading claims during the vice presidential debate

The Related Press

The vice presidential candidates, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, on Tuesday engaged in a fast-moving, largely civil debate on a variety of points. Right here’s a have a look at some false and deceptive claims from the talk.

___

Iran has not acquired $100 billion in unfrozen belongings underneath the Biden-Harris administration

VANCE: “Iran, which launched this assault, has acquired over $100 billion in unfrozen belongings due to the Kamala Harris administration. What do they use that cash for? They use it to purchase weapons that they’re now launching in opposition to our allies.”

THE FACTS: The Biden administration agreed final 12 months to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian belongings as a part of a deal to free 5 U.S. residents being held by Iran. However administration officers say not a greenback of that has but been given to Iran. It was a part of a deal negotiated by the Obama administration, earlier than Biden and Harris took workplace, that would have allowed Iran to entry frozen belongings in trade for accepting limits on its nuclear program.

In 2016, Iran stated it had acquired entry to greater than $100 billion value of frozen abroad belongings following the implementation of a landmark nuclear cope with world powers. The cash had been held in banks in China, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey since worldwide sanctions have been tightened in 2012 over Tehran’s nuclear program. Then-Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew advised Congress that solely about $50 billion of the frozen belongings would really be accessible by Iran.

Walz overstates the price of insulin earlier than cap

WALZ: “They have been charging $800 earlier than this legislation went into impact.”

THE FACTS: Walz overstated how a lot Individuals have been paying for insulin earlier than a brand new legislation capped costs at $35 per 30 days for thousands and thousands of older Individuals on Medicare. A December 2022 examine discovered that individuals who have been on Medicare or enrolled in personal insurance coverage paid $452 yearly on common earlier than the brand new legislation took impact.

Vance hyperlinks unaffordable housing to immigrants who’ve come into the nation illegally

VANCE: “You’ve bought housing that’s completely unaffordable as a result of we introduced in thousands and thousands of unlawful immigrants to compete with Individuals for scarce properties.”

THE FACTS: Most economists blame a long-term decline within the housing provide for the regular improve in residence costs. The variety of new properties underneath building plunged from an annual tempo of 1.4 million in April 2006 to barely above 400,000 in August 2011, and didn’t get well to 2006 ranges till 2021.

Vance stated no less than one distinguished financial evaluation from the Federal Reserve helps his claims that immigrants are pushing up housing prices, however he didn’t present particulars. He was seemingly citing a Might 2024 weblog submit by Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Financial institution of Minneapolis. Kashkari says immigration’s long-run impact on inflation is “unclear,” however immigrants want a spot to stay and their arrival has overlapped with greater costs.

There could be upward strain on residence costs in some markets due to immigrants arriving, however most economists say the difficulty is an absence of provide of properties in the marketplace. Homebuilders say they want the immigrants to construct the properties. Fed Chair Jerome Powell stated at a September information convention that top mortgage charges imply folks aren’t itemizing their properties on the market and there has not been sufficient provide.

Walz wrongly claims Venture 2025 creates being pregnant registry

WALZ: “Their Venture 2025 goes to have a registry of pregnancies.”

THE FACTS: That’s not true. The conservative initiative requires the gathering of “correct and dependable statistical knowledge about abortion, abortion survivors, and abortion-related maternal deaths,” however not a report of each being pregnant that happens.

Extra particularly, Venture 2025 proposes that the Division of Well being and Human Companies require all states to report detailed details about abortions which might be carried out inside their borders, together with the full variety of abortions, the age and state of residence of the mom, the gestational age of the fetus, the rationale for the abortion and the strategy used to carry out the abortion. It means that this knowledge be separated into classes corresponding to spontaneous miscarriages, intentional abortions, stillbirths and different medical remedies that consequence within the loss of life of the fetus, like chemotherapy.

Vance overstates immigration numbers

VANCE: “We’ve bought 20, 25 million unlawful aliens who’re right here within the nation.”

THE FACTS: That determine is extremely inflated. U.S. Customs and Border Safety reviews greater than 10 million arrests for unlawful crossings from Mexico from January 2021 by way of September 2024.

That’s arrests, not folks. Underneath pandemic-era asylum restrictions, many individuals crossed greater than as soon as till they succeeded as a result of there have been no authorized penalties for getting turned again to Mexico. So the variety of folks is decrease than the variety of arrests.

Based on the Division of Homeland Safety’s newest out there estimate, there have been roughly 11 million folks dwelling illegally within the U.S. as of January 2022, 79% of whom entered previous to January 2010.

Vance distorts Minnesota abortion legislation

VANCE: “It says that a health care provider who presides over an abortion the place the child survives, the physician is underneath no obligation to supply lifesaving care to a child who survives a botched late-term abortion.”