WASHINGTON D.C., DC — Washington D.C. began its Republican primary election Friday morning, and voters in Virginia will make their choice between former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley next week as part of Super Tuesday.
Haley made a late push for their approval by scheduling two campaign rallies in Virginia on Thursday and another in Washington D.C. on Friday.
VERIFY watched each of her speeches to determine whether she told interested voters the truth.
CLAIM
“You go back and look at that $2.2 trillion COVID stimulus bill that they passed with no accountability. They expanded welfare that's now left us with 80 million Americans on Medicaid, 42 million Americans on food stamps. That’s a third of our country.”
SOURCES
ANSWER
While her basic numbers are accurate, her final assertion ignores important context
WHAT WE FOUND
This claim about reckless spending by Republicans during the Donald Trump presidency is one she brought up on the debate stage and in her stump speech.
The non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget breaks down the spending allocations in the CARES Act, the $2.2 trillion pandemic relief package passed in early 2020.
In its most recent report, the official website for Medicaid tallies almost 79 million Americans enrolled in the government health care program as of November 2023.
Enrollment in Medicaid and SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps, expanded during the pandemic.
Pew Research Center explains that the number of people receiving SNAP benefits varies month to month, but the most recent data, from April 2023, showed just shy of 42 million Americans participating in that program.
The Census Bureau counts more than 335 million Americans. So, the combined number of participants in SNAP and Medicaid would equal more than one-third of the national population.
However, Haley did not account for the number of people who receive benefits from both programs. Approximately 40% of Medicaid beneficiaries also receive SNAP benefits, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services. That brings the real number of people on that welfare program below one-third of the population.
CLAIM
“For the first time, we’re paying more on our interest payments than we are in our defense budget.”
SOURCES
ANSWER
While nonpartisan government projections show that will become the case, it is not true yet.
WHAT WE FOUND
President Joe Biden signed a continuing resolution Friday to fund the government for an additional two weeks in hopes that Congress can pass spending bills to keep the government running for the rest of this fiscal year.
Against that backdrop, Haley criticized what exactly we’re spending money on as a country.
Her claim may become true, but it is based on projections.
The national debt is currently $34.1 trillion.
Treasury Department data for fiscal year 2023, which ended in September 2023, show the amount of money the federal government paid in interest on that debt reached $659 billion. That is less than the $821 billion spent on defense that year.
A Congressional Budget Office Economic Outlook Report published in February 2024 predicts interest payments rising to $870 billion in the current fiscal year. That would surpass the $822 billion the federal government is expected to pay for defense.
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget expects interest payments to be the second-largest part of the federal budget, trailing only Medicare, by 2026.
CLAIM
“Number one cause of death for adults 18-45: fentanyl.”
SOURCES
ANSWER
Haley was correct as she explained her reasoning for wanting tighter border security.
WHAT WE FOUND
President Biden and former President Trump each visited South Texas on Thursday to highlight their border policies and discuss the continued influx of migrants crossing the border.
Haley said increasing law enforcement along the border would save lives by preventing opioids-- specifically fentanyl--from reaching our communities.
The CDC reports that, as of September 2023, 106,000 people are dying per year of drug overdoses, and the DEA says roughly 70% of those are due to fentanyl.
Customs and Border Protection reports seizing approximately 27,000 pounds of fentanyl at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2023. A report from the Congressional Research Service says China has long been a provider of the fentanyl that enters the U.S. from Mexico.