Independent fact-checks of political claims, government statistics, and policy statements. We investigate claims from across the political spectrum.
A widely-shared graphic claiming federal discretionary spending doubled in three years misrepresents budget data by ignoring inflation adjustments.
Shared over 340,000 times — misrepresents the trustees' projection date and what reserve depletion actually means for benefit payments.
Specific statistics trace back to a single anonymous blog post. Intelligence analysts we contacted could not identify the original data source.
Technically accurate but drawn from a seasonally weak quarter without disclosing that seasonal adjustment is standard practice.