Federal Benefits Program

Do 22 million illegal immigrants live in the United States, receive public benefits and vote illegally? No, that's mostly false: Two experts in public policy told Lead Stories that the number of illegal immigrants in the United States is closer to 11 million. Because they are not citizens, they cannot qualify for most public benefits and cannot vote in most…

Did Dr. Robert Malone correctly claim in a speech that COVID-19 vaccines are not working, that they cause infertility and that vaccine makers are protected legally while families are not? No, that's not true: The vaccines have prevented serious illness and death for millions. Studies have shown the vaccines do not cause infertility and there is a compensation system for…

Is the U.S. government's Medicare program providing "flex cards" to qualified seniors that allow them to spend up to $2,800 a year? No, that's not true: Flex cards -- attached to a flexible spending account with money put aside for specific expenses such as medical costs -- are not a part of the Medicare program. Many advertisements promoting these flex…

If your employer requires you to be vaccinated against COVID-19, should you make them fire you in order to receive unemployment benefits? No, that's not true: in many states, unemployment benefits applicants who are fired are not eligible for benefits, according to a representative of the National Employment Law Project (NELP) and several state laws. The claim appeared in a…

Have federal unemployment insurance (UI) rules changed to require recipients to search for jobs starting on June 1, 2021? No, that's not true: although more than half of the country's states have reinstated their job search requirements, a job search is not a national requirement to receive UI benefits. The claim, which did not explicitly state where the specified UI…

Does a video by an anti-vaccine physician show conclusive scientific evidence that the antibodies produced by the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines will cause severe harm and even death if a vaccinated person is exposed to the COVID virus after inoculation? No, it does not: The claims by Dr. Sherri Tenpenny and other vaccine opponents lack rigorous scientific testing to…

Does the recent legislation that funds aid to Americans economically hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic also provide tax dollars for "gender studies" in Pakistan? No, that's not true: Though they were voted on as one package, the COVID relief measures were part of a separate bill that was then bundled together with others to streamline end-of-the-year votes in Congress. The…

Did President Trump invoke the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 as he signed the Covid-19 Relief Bill, forcing Congress to rescind section 230, cut wasteful spending, and to add $2,000 stimulus checks for all Americans? No, that's not true: The Impoundment Control Act does not force Congress to do anything. It was passed in 1974 as a way to limit…

Is this Joel Osteen's house? No, that's not true: The sprawling mansion, shown in a Facebook post, is not Joel and Victoria Osteen's River Oaks, Texas, home. It is the Hidden Hills, California, home of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, according to published reports. The related claims about Osteen's taxes and federal aid are made vaguely and without evidence and…

Did President Donald Trump signal that he will "take away your Social Security" with his remarks that he may make a payroll tax deferment permanent? No, that's not true: President Trump signed an order for the deferral of some payroll taxes, which fund Social Security, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he has thrown around the idea of removing the tax…