Fact checking Axne, Young campaign advertisements claims

MOBILE APP. THE RACE FOR IOWA’S 3R CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WHICH INCLUDES MOST OF THE DES MOINES METRO IS ONE OF THE MOST CLOSELY WATCHED IN THE NATION. DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN CINDY AXNE AND FORMER REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMAN DAVID YOUNG ARE IN A REMATCH AND ARE TRADING BARBS TV ADS ��vlog’S CHRIS GOTHNER HELPS YOU GET THE FACTS ABOUT WHAT’S TRUE AND WHAT’S NOT. >> WE ARE STARTING WITH AN AD FROM CINDY ACTUALLY AGAINST HER HER MOCON CHALLENGER. SHE ARGUES THAT YOUNG SUPPORTS ATTACKS ON WOMEN’S HEALTH CARE. IT MAKES TWO CLAIMS. >> YOUNG VOTED TO LIMIT CONTRACEPTIVES AND CANCER SCREENINGS. >> THE AD SITES THE 2016 VOTE REVEALING PORTIONS OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT. A PORTION OF THE BILL WOULD HAVE CAUSED FEDERAL FUNDS FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD. SPECIFICALLY, SERVICES OTHER THAN ABORTION. FEDERAL FUNDS HAVE NOT BEEN USED FOR ABORTION. THE NONPARTISAN RESEARCH SERVICE ANALYZE THE BILL AND CONCLUDED THAT SOME MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES COULD GO WITHOUT SERVICES INCLUDING PREVENTATIVE SCREENINGS AND CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES BUT THERE WERE NO VOTES ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC PROVISION IN THE BILL. THE VOTE WAS FOR THE ENTIRE REPEAL BILL. DURING HIS TIME IN CONGRESS, YOUNG TOLD THE REGISTER THAT HE BELIEVES IN WOMEN’S ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE AND CONTRACEPTIVES. >> THE BILL DID CONTAIN LANGUAGE THAT CONGRESS OWN PARTISAN RESEARCH SERVICE COULD LIMIT ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTIVES AND PREVENTATIVE SCREENINGS BUT THAT WAS ONLY ONE PART OF A LARGER BILL. THE NEXT CLAIM -- >> HE SUPPORTS BANNING ALL ABORTIONS. EVEN FOR VICTIMS OF RAPE AND INCENSE. IS SITES A 2014 REGISTER ARTICLE WHERE YOUNG DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS QUOTE PPOSED TO ABORTION EXCEPT TO SAVE THE LIFE OF A MOTHER. BUT AXNE’S AD CLAIMS YOUNG SUPPORTS BANNING ALL ABORTIONS. THAT ARTICLE CONTRADICTS THAT CLAIM BECAUSE WHILE YOUNG DIDN’T MENTION RAPE OR INCEST HE QUALIFIED HIS OPPOSITION TO ABORTION WITH AN EXCEPTION FOR WHEN THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER IS AT STAKE. THAT IS CLEARLY NOT ALL ABORTIONS. THEREFORE WE ALSO RATE THIS CLAIM MISLEADING. NEXT, AN AD FROM YOUNG AGAINST AXNE. >> AXNE SKIPS WORK AND LETS THIS FAR LEFT EAST COAST CONGRESSMA VOTE IN HER PLACE. >> THAT’S MARYLAND DEMOCRAT JAMIE RASKIN. YOUNG’S CLAIM IS BASED ON A NE HOUSE RULE SPURRED BY THE COVID 19 PANDEMIC. BECAUSE OF SOCIAL DISTANCING CONCERNS MEMBERS OF THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DESIGNATE ANOTHER REPRESENTATIVE TO VOTE ON THEIR BEHALF ON THE HOUSE FLOOR. IT’S CALLED PROXY VOTING. AXNE HAS SENT LETTERS DESIGNATING RASKIN AS HER PROXY THREE SEPARATE TIMES. THAT IS TRUE. BUT THE CLAIM FROM YOUNG IS MISLEADING. HERE’S WHY. HOUSE RULES STATE THAT A PROXY CANNOT VOTE ON ANOTHER MEMBER’S BEHALF WITHOUT THEIR WRITTEN INSTRUCTION ON HOW TO VOTE. SO AXNE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF CONGRESS MAKE THE VOTING DECISIONS NOT THEIR PROXY. THE PROXY ESSENTIALLY PUSHES THE BUTTON ON THEIR BEHALF. AND PROXIES HAVE CAST VOTE DIFFERENT THAN THEIR OWN. ALL BUT ONE OF THE MORE THAN 70 REPRESENTATIVES WHO HAVE USED PROXIES ARE DEMOCRATS BUT THE SOLE REPUBLICAN TO DO SO FLORIDA REPRESENTATIVE FRANCIS ROONEY NAMED VIRGINIA DEMOCRAT DON BEYER AS HIS PROXY ROONEY’S VERY FIRST VOTE BY PROXY DIFFERED FROM THAT OF BEYER. MOST HOUSE REPUBLICANS OPPOSED THE IDEA OF PROXY VOTING CLAIMING MEMBERS ARE MAILING I IN AND DISAGREE WITH DEMOCRATS ON ITS CONSTITUTIONA

Updated: 11:26 PM CDT Oct 4, 2020

Editorial Standards ⓘ

Fact checking Axne, Young campaign advertisements claims

Updated: 11:26 PM CDT Oct 4, 2020

Editorial Standards ⓘ

The race for Iowa's third congressional district, which include most of the Des Moines metro, is one of the most closely watched in the nation. Democratic Congresswoman Cindy Axne and former Republican Congressman David Young are in a rematch and are trading claims in TV advertisements. Axne's argues Young supports attacks on women's health care. The advertisement makes two claims. Axne claims "Young voted to limit contraceptives and cancer screenings." This is misleading. The ad cites young's 2016 vote in favor of a bill repealing portions of the Affordable Care Act. A portion of the bill would have paused federal funds for Planned Parenthood, specifically services other than an abortion. Federal funds have not been used for abortions. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service analyzed the bill concluding, "some Medicaid beneficiaries could go without services, including preventative screenings and contraceptive services." Young has supported efforts to eliminate federal funds for Planned Parenthood, but there were no votes about that specific provision in that bill. Young's vote was for the entire repeal bill. During his time in Congress, Young told the Des Moines Register "he believes in women's access to healthcare and contraceptives."So the bill did contain language that Congress' own nonpartisan research service concluded could limit access to contraceptives and preventative screenings. However, that was only one part of the larger bill. Axne claims Young "supports banning all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest."This is also misleading. It cites a 2014 Des Moines Register article where Young described himself as "opposed to abortion except to save the life of a mother." But, Axne's advertisement claims young supports banning all abortion. That article contradicts the claim, because while Young didn't mention rape or incest, he qualified his opposition to abortion with an exception for when the life of the mother is at stake. Young claims "Axne skips work and lets this far left east coast congressman vote in her place." This is mostly false.He's referring to Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin. Young's claim is based on a new house rule spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of social distancing concerns, members of the U.S. House of Representatives have been able to designate another representative to vote on their behalf on the House floor. It's called proxy voting. Axne has sent letters designating Raskin as her proxy three separate times. The statement is misleading because House rules state that a proxy cannot vote on another member's behalf without their written instruction on how to vote. So Axne and other members of Congress make the voting decisions, not their proxy. The proxy essentially pushes the button on their behalf, and proxies have to case votes different than their own. All but one of the more than 70 Representatives who have used proxies are Democrats, but the sole Republican to do so is Florida Rep. Francis Rooney who named Democrat Don Beyer as his proxy. Rooney's very first vote by proxy differed from that of Beyer. Most House Republicans oppose the idea of proxy voting, claiming members are "mailing it in" and disagreeing with Democrats on its constitutionality. But it is allowed during the time of COVID-19. In summary, the voting decisions were ultimately Axne's under House rules.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

The race for Iowa's third congressional district, which include most of the Des Moines metro, is one of the most closely watched in the nation.

Democratic Congresswoman Cindy Axne and former Republican Congressman David Young are in a rematch and are trading claims in TV advertisements.

Axne's argues Young supports attacks on women's health care. The advertisement makes two claims.

Axne claims "Young voted to limit contraceptives and cancer screenings."

This is misleading.

The ad cites young's 2016 vote in favor of a bill repealing portions of the Affordable Care Act. A portion of the bill would have paused federal funds for Planned Parenthood, specifically services other than an abortion. Federal funds have not been used for abortions. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service analyzed the bill concluding, "some Medicaid beneficiaries could go without services, including preventative screenings and contraceptive services."

Young has supported efforts to eliminate federal funds for Planned Parenthood, but there were no votes about that specific provision in that bill. Young's vote was for the entire repeal bill. During his time in Congress, Young told the Des Moines Register "he believes in women's access to healthcare and contraceptives."

So the bill did contain language that Congress' own nonpartisan research service concluded could limit access to contraceptives and preventative screenings. However, that was only one part of the larger bill.

Axne claims Young "supports banning all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest."

This is also misleading.

It cites a 2014 Des Moines Register article where Young described himself as "opposed to abortion except to save the life of a mother."

But, Axne's advertisement claims young supports banning all abortion. That article contradicts the claim, because while Young didn't mention rape or incest, he qualified his opposition to abortion with an exception for when the life of the mother is at stake.

Young claims "Axne skips work and lets this far left east coast congressman vote in her place."

This is mostly false.

He's referring to Maryland Democrat Jamie Raskin. Young's claim is based on a new house rule spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of social distancing concerns, members of the U.S. House of Representatives have been able to designate another representative to vote on their behalf on the House floor.

It's called proxy voting. Axne has sent letters designating Raskin as her proxy three separate times. The statement is misleading because House rules state that a proxy cannot vote on another member's behalf without their written instruction on how to vote.

So Axne and other members of Congress make the voting decisions, not their proxy. The proxy essentially pushes the button on their behalf, and proxies have to case votes different than their own.

All but one of the more than 70 Representatives who have used proxies are Democrats, but the sole Republican to do so is Florida Rep. Francis Rooney who named Democrat Don Beyer as his proxy. Rooney's very first vote by proxy differed from that of Beyer.

Most House Republicans oppose the idea of proxy voting, claiming members are "mailing it in" and disagreeing with Democrats on its constitutionality. But it is allowed during the time of COVID-19.

In summary, the voting decisions were ultimately Axne's under House rules.

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Fact checking Axne, Young campaign advertisements claims

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