PolitiFact.com
Statements about Trade
Betty Sutton

Betty Sutton

Half-True

Voting record a mixed bag

Says Jim Renacci has "consistently voted" for loopholes that "encourage outsourcing of our jobs."

Paul Ryan

Paul Ryan

Mostly False

Narrow truth masks reality of 'crippling' sanctions

Says the Obama administration "watered down sanctions" against Iran, delayed them and tried to stop Congress "from putting the tough sanctions in place."

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Mostly True

Tire jobs saved, others lost

Chinese tire imports threatened 1,000 American jobs, so President Obama "stood up to China and protected American workers. Mitt Romney attacked Obama's decision."

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney

Half-True

Too narrow a look at Obama's actions

 "Seven times Obama could have stopped China's cheating. Seven times, he refused."

Anthony Gemma

Anthony Gemma

Pants on Fire!

Claim goes AWOL

U.S. military uniforms are manufactured in China.

Paul Broun

Paul Broun

False

Put a bullet in this claim

A United Nations arms treaty would "almost certainly force" the U.S. to "create an international gun registry, setting the stage for full-scale gun confiscation."

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Mostly False

Tariff breaks, not earmarks, though both raise pay-to-play concerns

U.S. Rep. Allen West wants to bring back earmarks.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Half-True

Depends on when you start clock

"We've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration."

Lisa Tomasso

Lisa Tomasso

True

The scrap metal state?

"Rhode Island’s exports have increased by 53 percent in the last two years."

Josh Mandel

Josh Mandel

Pants on Fire!

Bold? Yes. Accurate? No.

"Make no mistake -- Sherrod Brown is one of the main D.C. politicians responsible for Ohio jobs moving to China."

Barack Obama

Barack Obama

True

Fewer workers, more efficient

"Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master Lock’s unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity."

Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney

False

That omits deals with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama

Says President Barack Obama has opened up no new trade relationships with other nations.

Ron Wyden

Ron Wyden

Mostly True

Prices are expected to drop over the next decade

Says Oregon canned blueberries will be cheaper in South Korea thanks to a trade agreement.

George Allen

George Allen

False

Flat out wrong

"Our federal government has lent $2 billion to the state-owned oil company of Brazil to allow them to explore for oil and gas."  

Sherrod Brown

Sherrod Brown

Half-True

Slip of the tongue doesn't destroy underlying point

"We buy 35 percent of all Chinese exports."

Marcy Kaptur

Marcy Kaptur

Mostly True

Her numbers are a little off, but the disparity is real

"Last year, Korea sold nearly half a million cars in our country. ... The United States, you know how much we sell to them? Six thousand. What kind of deal is that?"

Rob Portman

Rob Portman

Half-True

Stats are right, but EU growth was up months before

"In the month of July alone, EU exports to South Korea increased by over 36 percent. A lot of that is our market share. Those are our farmers and our service providers who are suffering."

SEIU

SEIU

Half-True

They opposed anything that looked like a tax increase

"Republicans fought to protect tax loopholes for corporations that send our jobs overseas."

Rob Portman

Rob Portman

Half-True

Slip of the tongue doesn't destroy underlying point

"We rank below Ethiopia, I'm told, in terms of our exports per capita, well below any of the other developed countries we trade with, and well below China and (South) Korea."

James Bennett

James Bennett

False

Geography lesson anyone?

Providence's port is "200 miles closer to Europe than any other Eastern port."

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