Ted Cruz Fact Checked on 10th GOP Debate Comments What He Got Wrong

Yep, Cruz Said It Again

Cruz again claimed that the Affordable Care Act has “killed millions of jobs,” as he also said in the seventh debate. But the economy has actually added millions of jobs since the law was enacted, and it has added 2.4 million since January 2015 when the employer mandate went into effect.

Cruz again claimed that the Affordable Care Act has “killed millions of jobs,” as he also said in the seventh debate. But the economy has actually added millions of jobs since the law was enacted, and it has added 2.4 million since January 2015 when the employer mandate went into effect.

No ‘Welfare’ Savings in Arizona

Sen. Ted Cruz claimed that a Wall Street Journal article said the state of Arizona has saved “hundreds of millions of dollars” on “welfare, on prisons, and education,” due to tough illegal immigration legislation. But the article said nothing about “welfare

Cruz claimed that a recent Wall Street Journal article said the state of Arizona has saved “hundreds of millions of dollars” in costs “on welfare, on prisons, and education,” after enacting tough measures against illegal immigration. But the article said nothing about “welfare,” for which immigrants living in the country illegally don’t qualify.

Cruz: You know, in the past couple of weeks the Wall Street Journal had a very interesting article about the state of Arizona. Arizona put in very tough laws on illegal immigration, and the result was illegal immigrants fled the state, and what’s happened there — it was a very interesting article.

Some of the business owners complained that the wages they had to pay workers went up, and from their perspective that was a bad thing. But, what the state of Arizona has seen is the dollars they’re spending on welfare, on prisons, and education, all of those have dropped by hundreds of millions of dollars. And, the Americans, and for that matter, the legal immigrants who are in Arizona, are seeing unemployment drop are seeing wages rise. That’s who we need to be fighting for.

The Wall Street Journal Feb. 9 article, headlined “The Thorny Economics of Illegal Immigration,” said that “[e]conomists of opposing political views agree the state’s economy took a hit when large numbers of illegal immigrants left for Mexico and other border states,” following the enactment of measures, starting in the mid-2000s, aimed at curtailing illegal immigration. There has also been less competition, higher wages and worker shortages for low-skill jobs, the Journal reported, as well as estimated cost savings, mainly on education for immigrants and their children.

The state’s population of immigrants in the country illegally fell by 40 percent between 2007 and 2012, according to estimates by the Pew Research Center, cited by the Journal. Moody’s Analytics determined for the newspaper that the departures had lowered the state gross domestic product by 2 percent per year on average from 2008 through 2015.

The state has saved an estimated “hundreds of millions,” as Cruz said, on education and prisons — and emergency room care — but not “welfare.”

Wall Street Journal, Feb. 9: State and local officials don’t track total spending on undocumented migrants or how many of their children attend public schools. But the number of students enrolled in intensive English courses in Arizona public schools fell from 150,000 in 2008 to 70,000 in 2012 and has remained constant since. Schooling 80,000 fewer students would save the state roughly $350 million a year, by one measure.

During that same period, annual emergency-room spending on noncitizens fell 37% to $106 million, from $167 million. And between 2010 and 2014, the annual cost to state prisons of incarcerating noncitizens convicted of felonies fell 11% to $180 million, from $202 million.

“The economic factor is huge in terms of what it saves Arizona taxpayers,” primarily on reduced education costs, says Russell Pearce, who as a state senator sponsored SB 1070 [a 2010 law that allows police to check immigration status during traffic stops].

The article says nothing about welfare, and, as we said when Cruz claimed in a previous debate that he would “end welfare benefits for those here illegally,” those here illegally are already barred from receiving most government benefits, including “welfare” programs such as food stamps and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.

Cruz on Reid Supporting Trump

Cruz claimed that Sen. Harry Reid favors Trump because “he can cut a deal with him.” But Reid has denounced Trump as a “hateful demagogue.”

Cruz claimed that Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid favors Trump because “he can cut a deal with him.” Actually, Reid has denounced Trump as a “hateful demagogue.”

Cruz: [T]here is a reason why, when Harry Reid was asked, of all the people on this stage, who does he want the most, who does he like the most, Harry Reid said Donald Trump.

Why? Because Donald has supported him in the past, and he knows he can cut a deal with him.

Cruz was referring to remarks Reid made to reporters on Jan. 27:

Reid, Jan. 27: Look, we’ve gotten along fine. …With that bunch of people running, I’m kind of pulling for him.

To start, saying he’s “kind of pulling” for Trump is a good way short of saying Trump is the one he likes or wants the most.  But more important, Reid quickly made clear, to those for whom it wasn’t clear already, that he was joking. On the floor of the Senate, he said:

Reid, Jan 27: Mr. President, there are some things I shouldn’t joke about. I tried to be funny an hour ago at my weekly stakeout, and I guess it wasn’t very funny. At least I don’t think so. The danger Donald Trump’s candidacy poses to our country is not a joke. Since he launched his bid for the Republican nomination, Donald Trump has proven over and over again that he is a hateful demagogue who would do immeasurable damage to our country if elected.

Cruz on Gang of Eight Contributions

Cruz claimed Trump has donated more than $ Cruz claimed Trump has donated more than $50,000 to members of the Senate who cosponsored the so-called Gang of Eight immigration bill in 2013. We tallied $26,000 total, most of it contributed years before the bill was being considered.

50,000 to members of the Senate who cosponsored the so-called Gang of Eight immigration bill in 2013. We tallied a total of $26,000 contributed by Trump to five members of the Gang of Eight, but most of the contributions came years before the Gang of Eight bill was even under consideration.

Cruz: If you look at the eight members of the Gang of Eight, Donald gave over $50,000 to three Democrats and two Republicans. And when you’re funding open border politicians, you shouldn’t be surprised when they fight for open borders.

Cruz has been critical of Rubio’s cosponsorship of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the so-called Gang of Eight Senate immigration bill. Cruz has called it an amnesty bill because it included a “path to citizenship” for those in the country illegally. During the debate, Cruz also faulted Trump for funding the politicians that made up the Gang of Eight.

We sifted through the Center for Responsive Politics’ database of the Senate contributions made by Trump over the years, and Cruz is correct that Trump has donated to five Gang of Eight members: Democrat Chuck Schumer, $9,900 between 1996 and 2010; Democrat Bob Menendez, $1,000 each in 2006 and 2007; Democrat Richard Durbin, a total of $1,500 in 1996 and 2007; Republican John McCain, $12,600 between 1998 and 2008; and Republican Lindsey Graham, $2,600 in 2014. That comes to $26,000. Fact Checked