During the vice presidential debate, Senator JD Vance (R-OH) made claims about rising housing costs tied to immigration.
The New York Times initially ruled Vance's claim to be false, but after Vance provided proof, the outlet was forced to eat its own words.
Talking Points…
- Vance claims during the debate
- NYT forced to issue correction
- Analysis
We all knew the debate moderators were going to hit Vance for this claim about Haitian migrants eating pets during the debate. Vance's team said he was well prepared for the debate, and he proved it by deflecting away to the rising costs of housing related to immigration. Vance stated:
"Look in Springfield, Ohio, and communities all across this country — you've got schools that are overwhelmed, you've got hospitals that are overwhelmed, you've got housing that is totally unaffordable because we brought in millions of illegal immigrants to compete with Americans for scarce homes."
Vance also cut off all possible avenues for excuses that would try to redirect the blame as a form of xenophobia, stating:
"We don't want to blame immigrants for higher housing prices, but we do want to blame Kamala Harris for letting in millions of illegal aliens into this country, which does drive up costs higher."
During the debate, when the moderators questioned his stance, Vance said he would supply the Federal Reserve study where he obtained this information. In the meantime, the publication rated his claims as "false." The New York Times was forced to walk that back when Vance provided the studies to which he referred.
After Vance provided the information, the Times fact-checkers, who clearly do not really check facts, changed the "false" rating to a "needs context," which is what they do every time they are caught wrongly accusing a Republican of lying. The correction stated:
"It is not clear what study Mr. Vance is referring to in his remarks. Some Federal Reserve officials and studies have suggested that immigration might push up home prices around the edges. A study by the Dallas Fed said that 'the population influx could put upward pressure on rents and house prices, particularly in the short run before new supply can be built.'
"And the Minneapolis Fed president said that immigrants' need a place to live, and their arrival in the U.S. has likely also increased demand for housing.'"
This is basic economics here… when there is a bigger demand than supply, costs go up. With somewhere in the neighborhood of 10 million illegals entering the country over the last four years, housing demands have clearly risen, especially in Texas, where the cost of one-bedroom apartments has skyrocketed.
This is like the perfect storm for an economic disaster. Housing costs are on the rise while wages are driven down because of so many unskilled workers, as well as employers paying the illegals under the table since they cannot legally work in this country.
Vance did exceptionally well during the debate and was clearly well-prepared. I love that he exposed the media bias not only in this report but also during the debate when the moderators wrongly fact-checked him on a key immigration issue. I just hope all those voters sitting on the sidelines were able to see it as plainly as we all did.
