The fourth GOP debate between Republican presidential candidates was hosted on Nov. 10. The following statements were made by candidates throughout the GOP debate, and the verdicts were decided upon by The Current staff after heavy research of reputable sources. Full transcripts of the debates can be found online on CNN.com, The Washington Post and other news sources.
- “Every time we raise the minimum wage, the number of jobless people increases. It’s particularly a problem in the black community. Only 19.8 percent of black teenagers have a job, who are looking for one. You know, that – and that’s because of those high wages. If you lower those wages, that comes down.”—Ben Carson, on minimum wage
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the participation rate of black 16 to 24 year olds who are working or seeking work was 56.4 percent in July 2015, which is 3.5 percent more than July 2014. The number of unemployed black teenagers was 20.7 percent.
The Congressional Budget Office also states on their website, “Most of them [low-wage workers] would receive higher pay that would increase their family’s income, and some of those families would see their income rise above the federal poverty threshold. But some jobs for low-wage workers would probably be eliminated, the income of most workers who became jobless would fall substantially, and the share of low-wage workers who were employed would probably fall slightly.” - VERDICT: Misleading. Carson’s statistic was false, but he is right in saying that raising the minimum wage increases unemployment.
- According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the participation rate of black 16 to 24 year olds who are working or seeking work was 56.4 percent in July 2015, which is 3.5 percent more than July 2014. The number of unemployed black teenagers was 20.7 percent.
- “In Ohio, we reduced Medicaid funding for the poor from 10 percent to 2.5 percent, didn’t cut one benefit or didn’t take anybody off the rolls…And I want everybody here to know, when I was Budget Committee chairman in Washington, I stepped on every toe in that town, and we got to a balanced budget, and we had enormous job growth. And as governor of Ohio, we went from 350,000 lost jobs to a gain of 347,000 jobs.”—John Kasich, on steps to cut federal spending
- According to watchdog.org, between 2011 and 2015, Medicaid spending increased by an annual average of 8.2 percent during Kasich’s term, and the enrollment rate increased by approximately 9.1 percent per year. The website said that during Kasich’s tenure, Medicaid enrollment increased from 2.2 million to 3 million.
Watchdog also reported that although the job growth was significant, Ohio ranked 21st out of the 50 states for job growth from Jan. 2011 to Jan. 2015. - VERDICT: Kasich’s statement about reducing Medicaid funding is false, as spending and enrollment both increased. His statement about job growth, however, is misleading. Although there was reported job growth, it was not as drastic and significant as he made it sound.
- According to watchdog.org, between 2011 and 2015, Medicaid spending increased by an annual average of 8.2 percent during Kasich’s term, and the enrollment rate increased by approximately 9.1 percent per year. The website said that during Kasich’s tenure, Medicaid enrollment increased from 2.2 million to 3 million.
- “And, frankly, we have to stop illegal immigration. It’s hurting us economically. It’s hurting us from every standpoint. It’s causing tremendous difficulty with respect to drugs and what that does to many of our inner cities in particular.”—Donald Trump, on illegal immigration
- The American Immigration Council reported that immigrants are less likely to be criminals than native U.S. citizens. According to their data from the 2010 American Community Survey, approximately 1.6 percent of immigrant males between the ages of 18 and 39 are incarcerated, compared to 3.3 percent of U.S. males of the same age group. They further reported that in the 2010 Census, it was cited that 2.8 percent of foreign-born Mexican men between the ages of 18 and 39 were incarcerated and 1.7 percent of foreign-born Guatemalan and Salvadoran men of the same demographic were incarcerated, compared to the 10.7 percent of native U.S. men of the same demographic who were incarcerated.
The Council also showed that the majority of illegal immigrants are deported based on their illegal status. Only 15.4 percent is for drug-related cases, including marijuana possession, 2.7 percent is weapon-related and 1.6 percent is sexual-assault related.
This can be compared to data provided by the Bureau of Justice, which shows in a 2014 report that 50 percent of federal inmates and 16 percent of state prisoners were convicted drug offenders, and 53 percent of state prisoners and 7 percent of federal prisoners were convicted for violent offenses.
Business Insider also reported on their website that it costs approximately $23,480 to deport a single undocumented immigrant. - VERDICT: Extremely misleading. While illegal immigration does hurt the U.S. economically in relation to the cost of deportation, the assumption that illegal immigrants are the source for crimes and drugs is false.
- The American Immigration Council reported that immigrants are less likely to be criminals than native U.S. citizens. According to their data from the 2010 American Community Survey, approximately 1.6 percent of immigrant males between the ages of 18 and 39 are incarcerated, compared to 3.3 percent of U.S. males of the same age group. They further reported that in the 2010 Census, it was cited that 2.8 percent of foreign-born Mexican men between the ages of 18 and 39 were incarcerated and 1.7 percent of foreign-born Guatemalan and Salvadoran men of the same demographic were incarcerated, compared to the 10.7 percent of native U.S. men of the same demographic who were incarcerated.
- “My tax plan, however, is the only tax plan among any of the candidates on the stage that is part of a balanced budget plan. I put forward three plans that actually balance the budget over a five-year period.”—Rand Paul, on the budget crisis
- According to U.S. News, Rand Paul’s tax plan includes replacing personal income tax with a 14.5 percent flat tax, replacing corporate taxes with a 14.5 percent value-added tax, eliminating payroll tax, eliminating estate and gift taxes, eliminating excises and tariffs, eliminating most credits, deductions and loopholes, eliminating most double-taxations and eliminating the majority of the IRS.
The Tax Foundation showed a comparison of the Republican candidates’ tax plans.
Jeb Bush – establish three tax brackets, with rates of 10 percent, 25 percent and 28 percent; the rates depend on the amount of taxable income.
Ben Carson – establish a flat rate between 10 percent and 15 percent on ordinary income.
Ted Cruz – establish a flat rate of 10 percent on ordinary income and increase the standard deduction to $10,000 per filer.
Carly Fiorina – no particular proposal.
John Kasich – establish three brackets with a top rate of 28 percent
Marco Rubio – establish three brackets of 15 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent, with the top rate applying to taxable income over $150,000 for single filers and $400,000 for joint filers.
Donald Trump – establish four brackets with 0 percent, 10 percent, 20 percent and 25 percent rates, the top of which applies the income that’s over $150,000 for single filers and $300,000 for joint filers. - VERDICT: True.
- According to U.S. News, Rand Paul’s tax plan includes replacing personal income tax with a 14.5 percent flat tax, replacing corporate taxes with a 14.5 percent value-added tax, eliminating payroll tax, eliminating estate and gift taxes, eliminating excises and tariffs, eliminating most credits, deductions and loopholes, eliminating most double-taxations and eliminating the majority of the IRS.
- “Because economic growth, it’s foundational to every other challenge we have. As you rightly noted, from 2008 to today, our economy has grown 1.2 percent a year on average. The Obama economy is a disaster, and the IMF is telling us this is a new normal. It doesn’t have to be.”—Ted Cruz, on the economy
- According to World Bank data, the U.S. economy increased by 2.4 percent in 2014, 2.2 percent in 2013, 2.3 percent in 2012, 1.6 percent in 2011 and 2.5 percent in 2010. In 2009, the economy decreased by 2.8 percent and in 2008 the economy decreased by 0.3 percent.
- VERDICT: True. This data shows an approximate 1.2 percent growth per year.
