The Debt Limit Debate Heats Up

The deadline for Congress to raise the debt limit and avoid a U.S. default is getting closer, but there is still no agreement on a plan to make sure the country can continue to pay its bills after early June.

Republicans and Democrats are now feuding over a House-passed bill -- the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 -- that would temporarily suspend or raise the debt limit in exchange for dramatically reducing discretionary spending over the next decade. 

As staff writer D’Angelo Gore writes, some Democrats, including White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, claimed the legislation will lead to "a series of deeply devastating and unpopular cuts to things like veterans’ health benefits." But Republicans, such as House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, said Democrats are "shamelessly lying" because "there are absolutely NO cuts to veterans benefits" or the Department of Veterans Affairs in the legislation.

No, the bill doesn't mention spending cuts for military veterans -- but it doesn't include an exemption for them either. 

D'Angelo explains that which programs would get cut would be determined later, when the House and Senate negotiate the annual appropriations bills that fund the government. And that's only if the Limit, Save, Grow Act were to become law, which is unlikely since it does not have the support of Senate Democrats or President Joe Biden.

For a full breakdown, read "Republicans Push Back on Democratic Claims of Veterans’ Health Care Cuts in GOP Debt Limit Bill."

Reader: Is this true?

[Attached was an undated social media post that said, "Wants everyone to know........ Looks like the first 10,000 'refugees' will be arriving in the U.S. from Syria. They will be given modern housing with utilities and free food. They will know a life they could have never dreamed of in their homeland. Last night 33,000 American veterans slept on the streets, and some of them died. If you think this is BS and needs to be reversed, LIKE & SHARE THIS!!!!"]

FactCheck.org Director Eugene Kiely: This is old news. It refers to an effort by the Obama administration to accept 10,000 refugees from Syria in 2016, because of a civil war in that country that had displaced millions of people. In 2015, we wrote about the situation in Syria and the U.S. response. 

In September 2015, we wrote:

In a press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that President Obama will direct his administration to make preparations to accept at least 10,000 refugees from Syria in fiscal year 2016. 

For more information, read our Ask FactCheck “Resettling Syrian Refugees,” and our article "Facts about Syrian Refugees."  

In August 2016, the New York Times wrote a story saying that the U.S. had reached its goal of admitting 10,000 Syrian refugees and providing a map of where they resettled. 

As for homeless veterans, we wrote about that issue most recently in 2021 when there were bogus claims circulating on social media that the Biden administration had provided “zero dollars to our homeless veterans.” We wrote, in part:

Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which he introduced on Inauguration Day and signed into law on March 11, does provide funding for health services, training and housing for veterans. In a press release issued on March 12, the Department of Veterans Affairs outlined the types of assistance directed to veterans in the plan.

It includes “$14.5 billion for COVID-19 related health care, including information technology and facility requirements, ensuring access for 9.2 million enrolled Veterans who may have delayed care or have more complex health care needs as a result of the pandemic, as well as resources for Veterans currently receiving housing support and an estimated 37,000 homeless Veterans.”

The plan sets aside “$750 million for both construction grants ($500 million) and payments ($250 million) to State Homes to greatly improve the living conditions of our most vulnerable Veterans who reside in these facilities.”

For more information, read “Bogus Claims About Biden’s Treatment of Homeless Veterans.”

Wrapping Up

Here's what else we've got for you this week:

• "Online Claims Misrepresent Washington Bill Aimed at Runaway Transgender Youth": In an Ask FactCheck, we answer the question: Does a proposed law in Washington state say that the government can take children away from parents who don’t agree to gender transition surgery?
• "Khanna Voted For — and Against — Raising Debt Limit During Trump Era": Rep. Ro Khanna voted against a budget bill in 2018 that raised the federal debt limit. Yet, in an interview, Khanna claimed he set aside his partisan differences with then-President Donald Trump and "voted to pay our bills." 
• "Kansas School Sports Act Doesn’t Require ‘Genital Inspections,’ Contrary to Online Posts": Kansas passed a bill allowing only “biologically female” students to play on girls’ and women’s athletic teams from elementary through college. Social media posts misleadingly claim the bill will allow “forced genital inspections” of students. The bill doesn’t mention genital inspections, and it leaves the implementation of policies up to schools’ governing bodies.
• "Posts Misrepresent U.N. Panel’s Guidance on Consensual Sex Between Adolescents": An international judicial panel working with the United Nations’ AIDS agency issued recommendations in March on laws related to sexual conduct, including consensual sex between adolescents. Social media posts misrepresented the recommendations, with one falsely claiming, “UN wants to decriminalize sex between minors and adults.”

• "El calentamiento global por sobre 1,5 °C es peligroso, pero no es un punto sin retorno, como afirma Biden": Es cada vez más posible que el planeta alcance 1,5 grados Celsius, o 2,7 grados Fahrenheit, de calentamiento, probablemente en las próximas dos décadas. Pero si bien un aumento de temperatura a ese nivel trae una serie de efectos peligrosos, los científicos dicen que no es un punto sin retorno, y no significa que “estamos acabados”, como el presidente Joe Biden ha afirmado. 
• "El uso de mascarillas tiene efectos mínimos en el sistema respiratorio y no causa COVID persistente": El COVID persistente es un conjunto de problemas de salud causados por el COVID-19 que permanecen o aparecen tras la infección inicial. Es inverosímil que las mascarillas causen COVID persistente, contrariamente a lo que se afirma en internet. El uso de mascarillas puede causar molestias temporalmente, pero los efectos fisiológicos no son biológicamente significativos.