In a speech announcing the framework for a pared-down spending plan, President Joe Biden made some questionable claims.
Biden Spins Facts on Framework
Video Spreads Bogus Claims About Plane Crashes and COVID-19 Vaccines
The number of U.S. plane accidents has been about the same this year as it was last year. But posts on social media falsely claim that there has been a significant increase due to pilot reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines. The Federal Aviation Administration says it has seen “no evidence of aircraft accidents or pilot incapacitations” associated with COVID-19 vaccines.
Republicans Spin NIH Letter About Coronavirus Gain-of-Function Research
Republicans say a letter from a National Institutes of Health official is an admission that the agency funded so-called gain-of-function research on bat coronaviruses in China, with some falsely linking the work to the pandemic coronavirus. But the research, which the NIH maintains is not gain-of-function, could not have led to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
FEMA Staff and Contracted Medical Workers Are Required to Follow Vaccine Mandate
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is deploying contracted medical workers to understaffed hospitals, where they are required to comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates. But social media posts falsely claim that “doctors and nurses are being forced to quit over the mandates,” while the workers sent by FEMA are “exempt.”
Video: Tucker Carlson Misrepresents Vaccine Safety Reporting Data
In this video, FactCheck.org and Univision Noticias teamed up to debunk misleading statements spread by Fox News host Tucker Carlson about the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.
FactChecking Biden’s Town Hall
We spotted a few instances in President Joe Biden’s televised town hall when his answers didn’t square with the facts.
Colin Powell’s COVID-19 Death Followed Cancer Diagnosis, Treatment
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell died from complications of COVID-19. Although he was fully vaccinated, he was also 84 years old and was a cancer patient who had undergone treatment for multiple myeloma — factors that put him at higher risk of a serious breakthrough illness. His death does not mean the COVID-19 vaccines don’t work, as many social media posts suggest.
Trump and Son Whitewash Vaccine Willingness Before Biden
Former President Donald Trump and his son Eric have been dishing out revisionist history with claims that vaccine hesitancy soared once Biden assumed office and that “people were getting the vaccine in record numbers” until Biden implemented vaccine mandates.
Already Had COVID-19? Vaccines Boost Immunity, Not ‘Wipe Out’ Antibodies
Studies show the COVID-19 vaccines boost the antibody levels and improve the immune response of those who previously had COVID-19. The vaccines do not “wipe out” the antibodies developed by a person who had recovered from the disease, as social media posts have falsely claimed for months.
U.S. Is Sending Aid to Independent Groups in Afghanistan, Not the Taliban
The U.S. is providing humanitarian aid through several independent organizations in Afghanistan, but not through the Taliban government. Yet an online article falsely claims that the Biden administration will “send the Taliban millions in US dollars,” and repeats a debunked claim about the cost of U.S. military weapons left after the U.S. withdrawal.