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(Josie Hollingsworth/PolitiFact) ![\\"Jon](\\" By Jon Greenberg February 5, 2020 ![\\"Miriam](\\" By Miriam Valverde February 5, 2020 SOMERSWORTH, N.H. — Joe Biden did not, in his words, \"sugarcoat\" his failure to finish in the top three in Iowa. \"We took a gut punch,\" he told supporters in a turn-of-the-century ballroom. \"I know there are an awful lot of folks out there who are trying to write off this campaign. Well, I’ve got news for them. I’m not going anywhere.\" As he has from the start, Biden emphasized his experience and his skill at turning ideas into signed laws. He contrasted himself on both fronts with Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders, the two apparent leaders in Iowa. In a dig at Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., Biden said taking on the presidency was no place for on-the-job training. And for Sanders, he derided his \"Medicare for All\" plan as not merely hugely expensive, but as a bill that is \"not going anywhere.\" \"He has yet to move the ball a single solitary inch in the United States Congress,\" Biden said. PolitiFact is traveling through New Hampshire this week to fact-check Democratic candidates ahead of the state’s Feb. 11 primary. _RELATED_ : We analyzed the stump speeches of Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. We fact-checked several of Biden’s statements in Somersworth, including direct aims at Sanders. Says when Sen. Bernie Sanders was asked on national television about the cost of his health care proposal, he answered \"nobody knows.\" Sanders did make this remark in a Jan. 24 CBS interview when asked about the cost of his multi-pronged agenda, which includes \"Medicare for All.\" Here’s the exchange with \"CBS Evening News\" anchor Norah O\'Donnell: O\'Donnell: \"Your agenda has promised free health care for everybody, free college tuition, and to pay off people\'s college loans. The price tag for that is estimated to be $60 trillion over ten years, correct?\" Sanders: \"Well, look. We have political opponents.\" O\'Donnell: \"You don\'t know… You don\'t know how much your plan costs?\" Sanders: \"You don\'t know. Nobody knows. This is impossible to predict.\" O\'Donnell: \"You\'re going to propose a plan to the American people, and you\'re not gonna tell \'em how much it costs?\" Sanders: \"‘Course I will. Do you know exactly what health care costs will be, one minute, in the next 10 years if we do nothing? It will be a lot more expensive than a Medicare for All single-payer system.\" One of his competitors in the Democratic primary contest \"voted against the Brady Bill five times.\" This is aimed at Sanders, and it is True. We looked into this back in 2015 when Hillary Clinton made the same claim during a Democratic primary presidential debate. The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act mandated a five-day waiting period for background checks for gun purchases. The bill underwent many transformations before it became law in 1993. Sanders, then Vermont’s sole representative in the U.S. House, voted against the bill in its entirety five times, from 1991 to 1993. The Sanders campaign in 2015 said Sanders voted against the bill because he was against a national waiting period and had to answer to the people of Vermont, a rural state with high gun ownership. The night before Biden spoke in Somersworth, Sanders told his supporters he would end \"the sale and distribution of assault weapons.\" _RELATED_ : Fact-checking Bernie Sanders in Milford, NH before the primary Gun makers are \"the only major manufacturer in the world, in the United States, whether it\'s the tobacco industry or drug industry or any other industry, that can\'t be sued.\" This exaggerates gun makers’ legal protections. A 2005 law protects gun dealers and manufacturers from lawsuits when their products are misused. For example, if a person buys a gun legally and then uses the gun to intentionally kill someone, the gun dealer and manufacturer cannot be held liable for the crime under the law. But in other cases, they can be sued. The law does not protect gun dealers who transfer a gun knowing it would be used for criminal purposes, nor those who knowingly break state or federal law if the violation results in harm. And gun makers remain vulnerable to defective product suits. Biden was also off target when he said only the gun industry has this protection. Congress gave liability relief to online service providers, small aircraft makers, and vaccine makers, and the nuclear industry benefits from a $13 billion cap on damages from an accident. \"I passed one of the first climate change bills in the United States Senate in 1987.\" This is True. While a non-binding resolution passed the Senate in 1985, Biden’s Global Climate Protection Act, which called on the president to set up a task force to plan how to mitigate global warming, became the first such law in 1987. At the time, Biden warned that \"even a small rise in temperature could disrupt the entire complicated environment that has nurtured life as we know it.\" His bill, however, demanded little. One professor described it as a \"plan to make a plan,\" and it never materialized. \"We make up 15% of the world\'s problem (with greenhouse gas emissions). That\'s important. We\'re the second-largest emitter in the world, but guess what? 85% comes from the rest of the world.\" This is accurate. The Emissions Database for Global Atmospheric Research shows that for 2018 the United States produced about 14% of greenhouse gas emissions, compared to about 30% for China, the largest emitter. Speaking of the Affordable Care Act, \"20 million people finally for the first time have access to health care.\" This is Mostly True. From 2013, the year before the Affordable Care Act took effect, to 2017, the number of Americans with health insurance increased by 26.6 million, according to an analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on health care policy. But the Affordable Care Act doesn’t necessarily take all the credit for that change. Gains in Medicare and from employer-sponsored health care account for a portion of that increase in the insured population. Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter ### Our Sources Sources linked within the story. ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Jon Greenberg slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" Hillary Clinton stated on September 6, 2022 in a tweet.: “I had zero emails that were classified.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Jon Greenberg • September 13, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Scott stated on August 10, 2022 in an interview on Fox News: “The Congressional Budget Office says 90% of the revenue generated from the new IRS agents will come from people making less than $200,000 … and the revenue generated will be $300-plus billion.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • August 17, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bob Good stated on August 10, 2022 in a tweet.: “Democrats are voting to add an army of 87,000 IRS agents who will target middle class taxpayers and conduct at least 1 million more audits each year. ” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Warren Fiske • August 17, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tucker Carlson stated on November 8, 2022 in election night coverage on Fox News: “Electronic voting machines didn\'t allow people to vote” in Maricopa County, Arizona. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • November 9, 2022 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on November 8, 2022 in a tweet: “There is no chain of custody” for ballots placed in Box No. 3 at Maricopa, Arizona, polling sites. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • November 8, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Ryan stated on November 1, 2022 in a town hall event: “J.D. Vance said nothing about” the attack on Paul Pelosi. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • November 3, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Mark Kelly stated on October 26, 2022 in a newspaper interview: Blake Masters “wants to privatize” Social Security. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Jon Greenberg • October 28, 2022 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on October 25, 2022 in an Instagram post: The documentary “2,000 Mules proves” Democrats “cheated on the 2020 elections.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • October 28, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Blake Masters stated on October 15, 2022 in a tweet: Immigrants illegally in the country are treated “better than military veterans.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • October 21, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Katie Hobbs stated on October 9, 2022 in an interview on CBS News\' Face the Nation: Kari Lake has “gone on the record saying she supports Arizona\'s complete abortion ban. She\'s called it a great law.” ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Jon Greenberg • October 12, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Kari Lake stated on October 9, 2022 in an interview on CBS News\' Face the Nation: “Katie Hobbs voted for allowing a baby who survives an abortion — that the hospital would refuse medical care and allow the baby to die on a cold metal tray.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Jon Greenberg • October 12, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Ryan stated on September 27, 2022 in a campaign ad: “I voted with Trump on trade.” ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"mostly-true\\"](\\" mostly-true.jpg\\") By Jon Greenberg • October 4, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Mark Finchem stated on September 22, 2022 in a Secretary of State debate: Ballot harvesting “altered the outcome” of a city council election in Yuma County, Arizona. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • September 23, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Saving Arizona PAC stated on September 8, 2022 in a campaign ad: “Mark Kelly voted against the Keystone pipeline, which caused higher gas prices.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Jon Greenberg • September 16, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Elizabeth Warren stated on August 28, 2022 in an interview on CNN: \"40% of the folks who have student loans do not have a college diploma, four- year diploma. These are people who are truck drivers and who are nail technicians and nurses’ aides.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • September 13, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Hillary Clinton stated on September 6, 2022 in a tweet.: “I had zero emails that were classified.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Jon Greenberg • September 13, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Scott stated on August 10, 2022 in an interview on Fox News: “The Congressional Budget Office says 90% of the revenue generated from the new IRS agents will come from people making less than $200,000 … and the revenue generated will be $300-plus billion.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • August 17, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Bob Good stated on August 10, 2022 in a tweet.: “Democrats are voting to add an army of 87,000 IRS agents who will target middle class taxpayers and conduct at least 1 million more audits each year. ” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Warren Fiske • August 17, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tucker Carlson stated on November 8, 2022 in election night coverage on Fox News: “Electronic voting machines didn\'t allow people to vote” in Maricopa County, Arizona. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • November 9, 2022 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on November 8, 2022 in a tweet: “There is no chain of custody” for ballots placed in Box No. 3 at Maricopa, Arizona, polling sites. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • November 8, 2022 ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Ryan stated on November 1, 2022 in a town hall event: “J.D. Vance said nothing about” the attack on Paul Pelosi. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jon Greenberg • November 3, 2022 ### Fact-checking Joe Biden in Somersworth, N.H. * ![](\\" ![](\\" New Hampshire Democratic Party stated on September 12, 2024 in an ad: When New Hampshire Republican gubernatorial nominee Kelly Ayotte served on two companies’ boards, one “laid off 18,000 workers” and the other “laid off 1,200 American workers, moving jobs overseas.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Louis Jacobson • October 2, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Kelly Ayotte stated on September 12, 2024 in an ad: “In Manchester, Joyce Craig pushed for a city sales tax … and tried to raise the tax cap six times.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • October 2, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" House Majority PAC stated on September 9, 2024 in a television ad: Laurie Buckhout is “trying to get to Congress to pass a national abortion ban, allowing politicians to ban abortions with no exceptions and prosecute women if they get an abortion, treating women right here like criminals.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Paul Specht • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump Jr. stated on September 9, 2024 in a post: “Less than three months ago, Kamala Harris and her administration blocked 300,000 unvetted Haitian migrants from being deported out of our country.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 30, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows President Joe Biden lounging on the beach \"while towns all over America were being wiped out” by Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Samantha Putterman • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 30, 2024 in in social media posts: “Biden Announces: ‘2.4 billion more to Ukraine’ but ‘no more aid for Hurricane Helene.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 24, 2024 in a post: “Olympic boxer Imane Khelif fails gender test, stripped of all titles, lifetime ban and $25 million prize money revoked!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Grace Abels • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 30, 2024 in a press conference in Georgia: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was calling President Joe Biden after Hurricane Helene but \"hasn\'t been able to get him.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 29, 2024 in an Instagram post: “Video shows Kamala (Harris) responding to someone talking through her earrings that she allegedly wore during the Trump vs. Harris debate.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 29, 2024 in a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania: Vice President Kamala Harris “even wants to legalize fentanyl.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Amy Sherman • September 30, 2024 Load more #### Offices District of Columbia 1800 I Street NW Washington, DC 20006 Florida 801 3rd St. S St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-821-9494 #### People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis #### State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin #### About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters #### RSS Feeds * Recent Articles and Fact-checks * Recent Fact-checks Suggest a Fact-check #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Copyright ©All Rights Reserved Poynter Institute 2020, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ![\\"\\"](\\" * * * ✕
I passed one of the first climate change bills in the United States Senate in 1987