Bachmann campaign claims get mixed reviews by fact-checkers

Rep. Michele Bachmann’s announcement last week that she’s mulling the idea of becoming a potential contender for the GOP nomination for president in 2012 has brought about a new round of fact-checking her statements this week. PolitiFact gave her a “Pants on Fire” rating on Tuesday, while Poligraph gave her an “inconclusive” on Wednesday. A member of Congress even used committee testimony this week to try and debunk one of her more frequent claims.

On the campaign trail in Iowa last weekend, Bachmann offered an assertion that PolitiFact, a project of the St. Petersburg Times, found completely false. Bachmann said, “Let’s look at the number one. Number one. That’s the number of new drilling permits under the Obama administration since they came into office.”

She continued, “Gee, maybe that has something to do with this next figure. Let’s take a look, $1.83. That is the price that gasoline was the day before Barack Obama took office as president of the United States. Is it time for a change?”

Obama put a moratorium on offshore drilling following the an explosion at a BP oil rig that killed 11 people and caused one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in U.S. history.

PolitiFact found that the Obama administration has approved numerous permits for offshore drilling, both deepwater (six permits) and shallow (39 permits). PolitiFact gave Bachmann its lowest rating, Pants on Fire.

As an aside, Sen. Al Franken signed on to the Use It or Lose It Act of 2011 directing oil companies to develop oil production on federal lands they currently lease or lose their leases in an attempt to ramp up oil production.

On Wednesday, Minnesota Public Radio’s Poligraph evaluated another of Bachmann’s statements during her Iowa campaigning: “From the day it passed one year ago until today, there hasn’t been one week that a majority of Americans haven’t said ‘kill that bill.’”

Poligraph notes, “Bachmann’s correct that there’s solid support for repealing some or all the health care bill. What’s unclear is whether the majority of Americans do, or if they have every week for the last year. One poll supports this claim, others don’t. As a result, Bachmann’s claim is Inconclusive.”

Bachmann’s office said the numbers she was referencing came from Gallup, but Poligraph notes that other pollsters have found that the number of Americans who support a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act varies widely.

Also on Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey grilled Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf about Bachmann’s infamous claim that $105 billion was “hidden” in the health care reform bill. ThinkProgress caught the exchange:

REP. FRANK PALLONE (D-NJ): We considered a bill that would repeal funding for section 1311, the health insurance exchange planning and establishment grants. Did you know about that funding stream?

ELMENDORF: Yes, Congressman.

PALLONE: Okay, so it wasn’t hidden. What about section 4002, the prevention and public health fund. Did you know about that?

ELMENDORF: Yes, Congressman.

PALLONE: So that wasn’t hidden either. And what about funding for school based health centers? Did you know about that?

ELMENDORF: Yes, Congressman.