Mitch gets fact-checked

Courtesy of FactCheck.org:

On ABC’s "This Week," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made a false claim about the federal debt — a claim that we debunked in January, when Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, made a similar statement. The debt situation has worsened since then, but not enough to make this GOP talking point true.

McConnell: What most Americans think is extreme is the kind of government we’ve been running for the last year-and-a-half. We’ve seen the government taken over banks, insurance companies, car companies, nationalizing the student loan business. We’re on a path to double the national debt in five years and triple it in 10.

First, current projections don’t show the debt doubling in five years or tripling in 10. Second, McConnell incorrectly blames Obama for the bank bailout. Obama supported it as a senator, as did McConnell, but it was signed by President George W. Bush. And, lastly, the changes in the federal student loan program will not increase the federal debt; in fact, they will save the federal government $62 billion over 10 years, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.