Attention Virginia voters: FactCheck.org has not previously written about House of Delegates candidates Robert Farinholt or Monty Mason. No matter what TV ads, robocalls and campaign mailers say.
Misusing Our Name in Virginia
Stories by D'Angelo Gore
Staff Writer, FactCheck.org
GOP Attack on Health Care Navigators
Republicans wrongly claimed in a blog post that the Obama administration went back on its word not to send federal health care “navigators” door to door to enroll Americans in the insurance exchanges.
Cabela’s Medical Tax Mistake
Q: Does the health care law contain a “hidden” tax on hunting and fishing equipment?
A: No. There is a 2.3 percent excise tax on certain medical devices. Cabela’s, a Nebraska sporting goods company, applied the tax to some of its customers’ purchases by mistake.
Inspection Deception
Q: Will there be forced home inspections under the Affordable Care Act?
A: No. The law provides grants for state home-visiting programs for expectant and new parents. The programs are voluntary and participants can opt out any time.
GOP Mistweets #Obamacare Survey Results
House Speaker John Boehner, among other Republicans, wrongly tweeted that a recent “study” found “74% of small businesses will fire workers, cut hours under #Obamacare.” Actually, no more than 13 percent of the small businesses surveyed said that.
No Russian Troops in U.S.
Q: Is Russia providing 15,000 troops to help the Federal Emergency Management Agency provide security for the U.S.?
A: No. A renewed agreement between the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry and FEMA only allows for the exchanging of emergency management experts, not security or military personnel.
Spinning Obama’s Climate Change Plan
Rep. Eric Cantor said Americans are increasingly “losing faith in their economy.” Obama said that “since 2006, no country on Earth has reduced its total carbon pollution by as much as the United States of America.”
Cherry-Picking McConnell’s Pay Raise Votes
A Democratic TV ad attacking Sen. Mitch McConnell for voting to “raise his own pay four times” simply ignores other votes he has cast to prevent automatic pay increases for members of Congress.
A Botched Attack on IRS Budget
An ad calling for the abolishment of the IRS incorrectly claimed that the federal agency’s budget increased by $2 billion. In fact, it’s down by nearly $1 billion during President Barack Obama’s first term.
A False Claim of Blame in Mass. Senate Race
Republican Gabriel Gomez falsely claims his opponent in the Massachusetts Senate race blamed him for the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., and compared him to Osama bin Laden.