President Donald Trump is set to deliver a speech to Congress to discuss the changes he has implemented during his first six weeks in office. Some of the topics he is expected to touch upon include efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, reductions in funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development, scrutiny of Social Security beneficiaries, and increased measures for border security. However, there have been concerns raised about the accuracy of some of the President’s recent statements on these matters.
**Russia-Ukraine Conflict**
President Trump reportedly criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting, accusing him of being disrespectful. He also canceled a minerals deal that was intended to help Ukraine in its conflict with Russia. President Trump’s statements about Zelenskyy and the origins of the conflict have been questioned for accuracy.
**The Facts:**
– Russia initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, following previous aggression in the region.
– Contrary to President Trump’s claims, Ukraine did not start the war.
**Support for Ukraine**
Vice President JD Vance suggested that President Zelenskyy had not expressed gratitude for U.S. support, which was proven false. Zelenskyy has publicly thanked the U.S. multiple times for its assistance.
**Government Cuts**
The Trump administration, along with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, has targeted agencies like USAID and the Social Security Administration for workforce reductions. Claims made by the administration about these agencies’ spending have been disputed.
**The Facts:**
– Claims of extravagant spending by USAID on DEI initiatives in various countries were found to be misleading.
– Both USAID and the Social Security Administration are facing significant cuts as part of the government’s efforts to reduce spending.
A group named Grupa Izadji was honored by USAID for its mission to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in Serbia’s workplaces and business communities. Other awards were given by the State Department’s Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. For instance, in 2022, a grant of $70,884 was given to an Irish company for a live musical event supporting shared values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility between the U.S. and Ireland. Another grant of $25,000 was awarded in 2021 to a university in Colombia to enhance transgender representation through an opera production, with an additional $22,020 from non-federal sources. In 2022, $32,000 was granted to a Peruvian organization to create a comic featuring an LGBTQ+ hero addressing social and mental health issues.
Concerns were raised by Trump and Musk claiming that millions of deceased individuals over 100 years old receive Social Security payments. While there have been improper payments to deceased individuals, the figures mentioned by Musk and the White House are exaggerated and misrepresent Social Security data. The confusion stems from Social Security’s software system using the COBOL programming language, which can default to a reference point over 150 years ago for entries with missing birthdates. Reports from the Social Security Administration’s inspector general in 2023 and 2024 highlighted issues with annotating death information in the database, but it does not imply that deceased individuals continue to receive benefits.
In regard to the Israel-Hamas conflict, Trump expressed intentions to transform Gaza into a “Riviera of the Middle East” and relocate over 2 million Palestinians from the region, despite their opposition. Furthermore, Trump falsely claimed that his administration prevented $50 million from being sent to buy condoms for Hamas in Gaza. The grant awarded by USAID to the International Medical Corps for medical services in Gaza did not involve funds for condoms, as confirmed by the IMC. The grant supported medical operations in Gaza, including two field hospitals providing essential care.
The medical department has been operating these facilities, offering medical care to approximately 33,000 civilians each month. According to USAID’s financial year 2023 report on contraceptive and condom shipments, the most recent data available reveals that only one Middle Eastern nation, Jordan, received a minor shipment of injectables and oral contraceptives worth $45,680 for government programs exclusively. Notably, this marked USAID’s initial shipment to the Middle East since financial year 2019. Reports from the first three quarters of 2024 by USAID indicate that the agency’s family planning programs in the Middle East were solely funded in Jordan and Yemen.
This story includes contributions from Associated Press writers Justin Spike in Budapest and Fatima Hussein in Washington. For more AP Fact Checks, visit https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
