PolitiFact has fact-checked Jeb Bush 20 times on our Truth-O-Meter. We’ve rated five statements True, seven Mostly True, two Half True, four Mostly False, one False and one Pants on Fire.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush announced on Facebook Dec. 16 that he “decided to actively explore the possibility of running for President of the United States.”
PolitiFact Florida has fact-checked Jeb Bush 20 times on our Truth-O-Meter. We’ve rated five statements True, seven Mostly True, two Half True, four Mostly False, one False and one Pants on Fire.
Bush left office in 2007, so he hasn’t been in the public eye as much as some of the other 2016 contenders.
In many ways, Bush, who served 1999-2007, was one of Florida’s most powerful governors. He took office after voters changed the Constitution to give the office more power, served while his brother was president and was the first Republican governor since Reconstruction to work with a GOP-controlled Legislature. He served during Florida’s famous 2000 recount and during the busy 2004-05 hurricane seasons. Bush implemented the state’s A through F school grading system, cut billions in taxes and slashed thousands of state jobs.
Despite some commentators now calling him a “moderate” for his views in favor of Common Core and changing immigration policies, he governed as a conservative in Florida.
Here’s a look at some of our fact-checks of claims by or about Bush.
Immigration
Bush has been a leading Republican voice for changing immigration law for years. In a book he co-wrote in March 2013, Bush wrote about the positive role of immigration and criticized those who focus only on border security.
The book called for an overhaul to the country’s immigration system, including an emphasis on work, rather than family reunification, when granting visas.
“Nearly 65 percent — almost two-thirds — of all new permanent residents obtained that status by virtue of their family status,” he wrote.
That’s accurate. This number refers to a group known as legal permanent residents, or “green card” holders. In 2011, about 1 million people became legal permanent residents, and those who entered based on family ties accounted for about 65 percent. We rated Bush’s statement True.
Education
Bush said in a speech at his education summit in November that we shouldn’t fret so much about students’ self-esteem.
The Orange County, Fla. school board, for example, “voted to make it impossible for a student to receive a grade below 50. You get 50 out of 100 just for showing up and signing your name. This was done — and I quote here from a local official — ‘so that the students do not lose all hope.’”
Bush’s anecdote was accurate The school board voted that 50 is the minimum number for quarter and semester grades, though it’s still possible to get a lower grade on an individual assignment or test. The goal was to give students some chance at catching up: it’s possible to pull up a 50 to a passing grade, but that’s nearly impossible if a student starts at a zero. We rated the claim Mostly True.
Military
Bush said at a Wall Street Journal event that among the reasons applicants are rejected by the military — in addition to being obese or not passing the test — is that some have “too many tattoos” on visible body parts.
Since the Army updated its tattoo policy earlier this year, 2,919 applicants could not proceed due to tattoos. Other branches of the service also have restrictions on types and locations of tattoos that keep some applicants out of the military. We rated his claim True.
But Bush flubbed a line about how many applicants pass the military entrance exam.
“The pass rate for a high school level test to join the military” is 35 to 40 percent, he said.
Bust meant to say that one-third failed the test, a rate that is roughly in line with one credible measure of applicants to the Army (though the available data is scattered and incomplete). We rated his claim False.
Obamacare
On Thanksgiving eve 2013, Bush tweeted “Why would our president close the embassy to the Vatican? Hopefully, it is not retribution for Catholic organizations opposing Obamacare.”
As it turned out, Obama was not closing the embassy to the Vatican — the U.S. was moving to a more secure location closer to the Vatican. In addition, the move didn’t originate with Obama. It has been in the works since George W. Bush — Jeb Bush’s brother — was president. Finally, we found no evidence to support the idea that the relocation was related to battles over Obamacare. We gave Bush a Pants on Fire — his only one.
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