A Pay-for that Doesn’t Pay for the Bill

News articles have described the newly elected House speaker, Rep. Mike Johnson, as little known. If fact-checking is any gauge, that’s about right.

We had written about Johnson only once before he became speaker. (In 2019, during House hearings about special counsel Robert S. Mueller’s report on the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Johnson said, “President Trump cooperated fully with the investigation.” As we wrote, the Mueller report contradicts that.)

This week, we fact-checked Johnson again.

In an interview with Fox News, he said a Republican bill to provide aid for Israel would have “pay-fors in it.”

“We’re not just going to print money and send it overseas,” Johnson said, citing a concern about “our fiscal stability.”

But, as Managing Editor Lori Robertson writes, the legislation would increase the deficit, not pay for itself, according to multiple budget experts.

The bill calls for $14.3 billion in spending to respond to the attacks in Israel and proposes “budgetary offsets” by rescinding the same amount of funding to the Internal Revenue Service. Reducing the IRS’ ability to collect taxes that are owed would lower revenues and therefore increase deficits.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that taking back the IRS funding would increase deficits by $12.5 billion over 10 years. Steve Ellis, president of the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense, said the IRS provision was “a recipe for fiscal recklessness.”

Republicans have objected to the additional IRS funding, which was part of a Democratic law passed last year.

The House passed the Israel aid bill on Nov. 2. It now goes to the Democratic-controlled Senate.

See Lori’s full story for more: “IRS Funding Cut Doesn’t Offset Israel Aid in GOP Bill.”

Reader: I keep seeing people posting to stay away from Starbucks because their union supports Hamas. Can you please let me know?

FactCheck.org Staff Writer D'Angelo Gore: After Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, attacked Israel on Oct. 7, a social media account belonging to Starbucks Workers United, a group organizing Starbucks baristas at hundreds of store locations, posted a pro-Palestinian message.

The post on X, the old Twitter, said, "Solidarity with Palestine!" The message did not mention Hamas, but it was attached to another X user's post of a video said to depict "Gaza Resistance tearing down the israeli occupation fence erected on the border."

On Oct. 11, Starbucks, the corporation, responded with a statement criticizing the post from Starbucks Workers United.

"To be clear: We unequivocally condemn these acts of terrorism, hate and violence, and disagree with the statements and views expressed by Workers United and its members. Workers United’s words and actions belong to them, and them alone," part of the corporation's statement said.

Starbucks Workers United is part of Workers United, a Philadelphia-based union that is affiliated with the Service Employees International Union.

The corporate Starbucks is now suing Workers United for trademark infringement, arguing in an Oct. 18 complaint that "inflammatory and misleading communications" posted by Starbucks Workers United "have led, among other things, to property damage, threats, and calls for a boycott against Starbucks." Starbucks said customers were confused because the group uses the company's name and a similar logo.

In a counter lawsuit filed the same day, Workers United said the post in question "was not authorized by the leadership of Workers United or Starbucks Workers United, and it was deleted after approximately 30-40 minutes." Workers United also argued that Starbucks falsely implied that the union expressed support for "terrorism, hate and violence," although Workers United had shared an Oct. 10 post from the SEIU president condemning antisemitism and violence in Israel and Palestine.

Then, on Oct. 20, Starbucks Workers United posted an official statement on social media that further explained its support for Palestine. 

"Members of Starbucks Workers United Stand in Solidarity with the Palestinian People's Right to Self-Determination," the statement reads.

It adds, in part: "We are opposed to violence, and each death occurring as the result of violence is a tragedy. We absolutely condemn antisemitism and Islamaphobia. Our union's members endorse the comprehensive statement of support from Jewish Voice For Peace, which provides powerful context on why we all must stand in solidarity with Palestinians. This statement reflects the diversity of our campaign; we are a union with Jewish, Palestinian, and Muslim workers."

The statement from Jewish Voice for Peace, which describes itself as the "largest progressive Jewish anti-Zionist organization in the world," is available on its website. The statement called the "massacres committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians ... horrific war crimes," but it also criticized the Israeli government's response to the attacks.

Wrapping Up

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

• "Posts Falsely Claim FDA ‘Required’ to Take mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines off Market Due to Adulteration": As with many medical products, the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may contain trace amounts of residual DNA from the manufacturing process. It is not considered adulteration, and the Food and Drug Administration is not “required” to pull the vaccines from the market, contrary to viral claims online.
   
• "Pro-Trump PAC Spars with DeSantis over Puerto Rican Statehood": A pro-Donald Trump super PAC and Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign are both spinning the facts about support for Puerto Rican statehood.
   
• "Online Video Misrepresents Putin Speech Commemorating WWII Victory": An online video shows Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing a 2021 military rally commemorating the triumph over Nazism in World War II. But an Instagram post sharing the video falsely claims Putin is shown announcing “help to Palestine” in the current war between Israel and Hamas.