Biden and Ryan on the Issues

Abortion
Biden
• Supports women’s right to choose, but does not believe the federal government should fund it.
• Voted in support of embryonic stem cell research.
• Helped write the landmark 1994 Violence Against Women Act which strengthened provisions against offenders.

Ryan
• Opposes abortions except in cases of rape, incest and if it endangers the life of the mother.
• Thinks lawmakers should decide on abortion, not judges.

Education/Pell Grants
Biden
• Supports Obama’s plan to increase maximum amount of Pell Grants to $5,500 and the number of students receiving these grants.
• In favor of an education tax credit worth up to $10,000 over four years.

Ryan
• Under his proposed budget, would cut Pell Grants by $170 billion over next decade. One million students would lose eligibility for the grants under Ryan’s plan.
• Would allow federal interest rates for Stafford loans to double.

Unemployment/Economy
Biden
• Wants to continue to focus on the middle class with regards to the economy. Says he and the president will get unemployment to under 6 percent.
• Also in favor of extending unemployment benefits.

Ryan
• Wants a spending cap as a percentage of GDP and lower corporate tax rate.
• Wants to freeze government spending.

Immigration
Biden
• Supports passage of the DREAM Act, which would give undocumented students a chance at becoming permanent United States residents.
• Supports securing the United States-Mexico border.
• Supports a “guest worker program,” to allow migrants to come into the United States, work and then return home.
• Opposes allowing states to pass their own immigration laws.

Ryan
• Opposes passage of the DREAM Act.
• Supports securing U.S. borders and curtailing the flow of illegal immigrants.
• Supports a “guest worker program.”
• Supports expansion of temporary and seasonal visas for workers.
• Ryan is opposed to visas that will allow an illegal immigrant to stay in America indefinitely.

Foreign Policy
Biden
• Supports open dialogue with North Korea.
• Along with Obama, pledges to remove all troops from Afghanistan by 2014.
• In favor of having Israel as an ally in the Middle East.

Ryan
• Supports increasing defense spending.
• Opposes putting a time limit on the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.
• Supports having Israel as an ally in the Middle East.

What FactCheck.org is saying
Biden
• Biden has consistently claimed that rapes have risen greatly in Flint, Mich., as there were police layoffs in the city. However, statistics show that that number has actually decreased.
• Biden accused Romney of saying “it’s not worth moving heaven and earth” to catch Osama bin Laden. But Romney actually said he wished to target more than just “one person.”

Ryan
• Ryan blamed the United State’s downgraded credit rating on Obama, while in reality, Standard & Poor cited both parties for their inability to work together on budget cuts.
• Along with Romney, Ryan cites five different studies to prove that their tax plan would not raise taxes on the middle class. However, the studies were either written by Romney campaign adivsers, a former George W. Bush adviser or were blog items.

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