The sole vice-presidential debate saw contrasting narratives from Democrat Tim Walz and Republican JD Vance, with a plethora of claims thrown into the mix. Discussions ranged across a diverse array of national issues such as American energy production, taxes paid by former President Donald Trump, the consequences of Kamala Harris’s policies, and child poverty rates in Minnesota. A detailed fact check, not exhaustive but selective, was carried out on the statements made by the two vice-presidential hopefuls.
During the debate, Tim Walz put forth the claim that the United States is currently among the world’s top oil and natural gas producers. Corroborating his claim, the government Energy Information Administration’s March 2024 release reported an ongoing streak of the U.S. producing unprecedented volumes of crude oil for six consecutive years. The report further speculated that it would be challenging for any country to surpass the 2023 record in the foreseeable future, considering no other nation commands a production capacity exceeding 13.0 million barrels in a day. In 2023, the U.S. averaged production at a rate of 12.9 million barrels per day.
Furthermore, the U.S. recorded a new maximum in the production of dry natural gas in December 2023, following a consistent upswing over the majority of the decade. However, predictions for 2024 point towards an impending dip in output, which would be the first decline witnessed since 2020.
Walz contended that former President Donald Trump did not pay federal taxes in 10 out of the past 15 years, including his last year in office. Credible information lends considerable weight to this claim. Documentation unveiled by the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee showed that Trump paid zero income tax during the last complete year of his presidency.
Another notable claim made by Walz was the significant impact of Minnesota’s child tax credit on child poverty rates, allegedly bringing them down by a third. A prospective analysis executed by Columbia University’s Center on Poverty & Social Policy projected that the 2023 child tax credit program, aimed at assisting low- and middle-income families, would slash child poverty rates in Minnesota by one-third. Final verdicts confirming the actual impact of the tax credit program are still awaited.
Moreover, according to Walz, Minnesota is leading the pack in healthcare. Official data from the financial portal WalletHub, which the Minnesota governor has cited on previous occasions, confirmed this fact. WalletHub ranked Minnesota as the state with the most effective healthcare system that also ensures minimum healthcare costs.
Adding to the accolades for Minnesota, Walz also referenced its capital city, Minneapolis, for displaying the smallest inflation rates, a detail borne out by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labour Statistics for certain stretches during the previous year and a half.
Walz zeroed in on a less favorable aspect of Trump’s legacy, stating that his administration created the most substantial trade deficit with China in the history of the U.S. This claim holds true, as the U.S. goods trade gap with China escalated to its highest peak under Trump’s second term.
Vance, on the other hand, asserted that the Kamala Harris administration’s policies had facilitated the unfreezing of over 100 billion in assets for Iran. However, in August 2023, the reality was a U.S.-Iran prisoner swap deal approved by President Joe Biden, leading to the unfreezing of 6 billion in Iranian funds previously held in South Korea.
Vance also laid claim to the U.S. having the cleanest economy globally, a misrepresentation of the facts. The Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research 2024 report by the EU revealed that the U.S., only surpassed by China, was the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases worldwide in the previous year.
In an attempt to critique Harris’s policies, Vance inferred they may have boosted energy production and manufacturing overseas, particularly in China. His statement likely refers to incentives introduced by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act to encourage domestic energy production and manufacturing investment. The Act includes provisions for supporting clean energy jobs and promoting sales of new and used electric vehicles.
On a positive note, Vance credited Trump’s economic measures with providing the most significant take-home pay recorded in recent generations. This fact aligns with statements from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, who attributed the boost in income to the increased workforce in the country.
Finally, Vance propagated a misleading belief that approximately 90% of gun violence in the U.S. is perpetrated using firearms obtained illicitly. However, the truth paints a different picture. The majority of public mass shootings — incidents where four or more people are killed — from 1966 to 2019 were committed using legally obtained handguns. It must be noted that these guns can change ownership multiple times after their initial sale, and some of those transfers could involve theft or violation of firearm commerce regulations.
Contrasting Narratives in the Vice-Presidential Debate appeared first on Real News Now.
About Author
