Congress

Did a draft continuing resolution or spending bill in late 2024 include a 40 percent salary increase for members of Congress? No, that's not true: The proposed December 2024 temporary funding package included a 3.8 percent pay raise, which would increase their annual salary from $174,000 to $180,600 if approved. Under the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 Congress is allowed…

Is Social Security out of money for payouts to be made starting June 1, 2025? No, that's not true: This was implied by a post on Threads that did not cite any official document, did not link to expert analysis or provided no financial records. The Social Security Trust Fund, from which benefits are paid, was solvent on the day…

Does an authentic video show Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell in December 2024 with a large white bandage around his head, standing mute at a lectern, when a woman asks if his head is "OK after that fall"? No, that's not true: An old video clip showing the moment McConnell froze up in 2023 has been edited. A large bandage…

Does President Joe Biden have the power to pardon Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson? No, that's not true: As of this writing, Mangione was jailed on state charges in Pennsylvania and was charged with murder by New York. The Constitution allows presidents to grant pardons only for federal crimes. The claim originated in…

Does President-elect Donald Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship mean four of his children wouldn't be considered United States citizens? No, that's not true: Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump and Barron Trump's father is a U.S. citizen. Thus, all four children would have qualified under Trump's 2024 stated plan that "at least one parent will have to be…

Is the United States "the only country" with birthright citizenship? No, that's not true: Dozens of countries, most of which are in the Western Hemisphere, have similar laws regarding birthright citizenship, according to the CIA World Factbook. The statement was made in a December 2024 interview with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, but he has said the same thing as far…

Did Walmart donate $3.5 million to President-elect Donald Trump and Republican campaigns while giving nothing to Democrats ahead of the 2024 election? No, that's not true: Walmart's political donations come from an employee-funded political action committee, not the Walmart corporation. Public records show that while this committee supports both Republican and Democratic candidates, it didn't donate to either major party's…

Is there no way to avoid that January 19, 2025, is TikTok's last day of operation in the United States, as implied in a "BREAKING" post on Threads? No, that's not true: On the day the post appeared, there was no breaking news about enforcement of a federal law forcing the sale of TikTok to non-Chinese ownership. The bill signed…

Did Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene publicly say that if members of Congress resigned over the same allegations leveled against former Rep. Matt Gaetz, "Democrats would have a supermajority"? No, that's not true: A satirical social media account made up that supposed quote. No credible news outlets have reported that Greene made that statement. The claim originated in a post (archived…

Did the U.S. Senate "accidentally" pass the Ending Trading and Holdings in Congressional Stocks Act, known as the ETHICS Act, which will prevent Donald Trump from becoming president of the United States in 2025? No, that's not true: The act would not ban Trump from becoming president because it "bans actions, not people," a spokesperson for Sen. Jeff Merkley, the…