FACT CHECK: Did Kamala Harris Make This Comment About Shuttering Veterans Affairs?
A post shared on X allegedly shows a quote from Vice President Kamala Harris saying that she hopes to shutter the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
I’ve seen fact checkers say this is false. I watch her say it. My wife watched it. The video of her saying this quote has been eliminated. For a fact, Harris said this during her 2016 VP campaign. Do not forget how she really feels about veterans. pic.twitter.com/eFvCMEdqpV
— Instructor Dan (@DLiegey12) July 24, 2024
Verdict: False
Harris did not say this. It was originally posted to a satirical website.
Fact Check:
Harris’ campaign has raised $200 million following President Joe Biden’s exit from the 2024 race, according to AP News. Her favorability has jumped to 43 percent in the past week, a rise from the previous week’s poll showing 35 percent favorability, ABC News reported.
An X post claims Harris said, in part, “The United States government cannot continue to pay for the every need of what has become a special class of citizen. Veterans are equal to us, not better than. Veterans Affairs coddles them.” She allegedly goes on to say that shuttering Veterans Affairs would be the best course of action and tells veterans to “get a job.”
This claim is baseless, however. There are no credible news reports to suggest that she said this. Likewise, the alleged statement does not appear on any of her social media accounts.
The claim was originally posted to America’s Last Line of Defense in February 2021. “Military-Hating Kamala Wants To Shut Down The VA,” the headline reads. The site’s banner reads, “satire for your confirmation bias.” This website is no longer active, but there is a Facebook page under the same name. “The flagship of the ALLOD network of trollery,” it reads. “Nothing on this page is real.” The page’s bio links to a site called Dunning-Kruger Times, which contains an “About Us” page saying it’s a subsidiary of America’s Last Line of Defense and that it posts satire.
Harris has shown support for Veterans Affairs in the past. An April 2022 X post from Harris reads, “Since the pandemic, the Department of Veterans Affairs has refunded or canceled approximately $1 billion in medical copayments to over 1.5 million veterans, providing financial relief to veterans experiencing economic hardship.”
Since the pandemic, the Department of Veterans Affairs has refunded or canceled approximately $1 billion in medical copayments to over 1.5 million veterans, providing financial relief to veterans experiencing economic hardship.
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) April 13, 2022
Check Your Fact previously debunked the claim when it was initially posted in February 2021. (RELATED:Did Donald Trump Donate To Kamala Harris’ 2014 Attorney General Reelection Campaign?)
Check Your Fact reached out to a Harris spokesperson for comment and will update this piece accordingly if a comment is received.