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Fact Check: Did Palin veto a half-billion dollars in spending as governor?
Posted: 04:42 PM ET
Did Gov. Palin veto a half-billion dollars in spending?.
The Statement
Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, speaking October 27 at a rally in Leesburg, Virginia, said that, acting as Alaska's governor, "I put the veto pen to nearly half a billion dollars in wasteful spending."
Watch: Palin and budget cuts
Get the facts!
The Facts
Maria Comella, Palin's spokeswoman, cited news stories from the Anchorage Daily News about $499 million in capital spending cuts Palin made for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.
In 2007, the governor cut $231 million from the capital budget for construction projects for the following fiscal year, according to a July 6, 2007, Anchorage Daily News article. The article said the move "pleased many Alaskans who voted for the self-described fiscal conservative to rein in government spending."
A June 30, 2007, Associated Press article quoted Palin as saying "we need to live within our means. … Even though we have a surplus, that doesn't warrant a spending spree on an unlimited credit card. Now is the time to save for the future."
A May 24, 2008, Anchorage Daily News article said Palin "axed about 10 percent of the spending that state legislators approved for hometown projects," a total amounting to $268 million. The newspaper reported that it was the "second year in a row Palin vetoed projects dear to legislators."
Verdict: True
Posted: 04:42 PM ET
Did Gov. Palin veto a half-billion dollars in spending?.The Statement
Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, speaking October 27 at a rally in Leesburg, Virginia, said that, acting as Alaska's governor, "I put the veto pen to nearly half a billion dollars in wasteful spending."
Watch: Palin and budget cuts
Get the facts!
The Facts
Maria Comella, Palin's spokeswoman, cited news stories from the Anchorage Daily News about $499 million in capital spending cuts Palin made for fiscal years 2008 and 2009.
In 2007, the governor cut $231 million from the capital budget for construction projects for the following fiscal year, according to a July 6, 2007, Anchorage Daily News article. The article said the move "pleased many Alaskans who voted for the self-described fiscal conservative to rein in government spending."
A June 30, 2007, Associated Press article quoted Palin as saying "we need to live within our means. … Even though we have a surplus, that doesn't warrant a spending spree on an unlimited credit card. Now is the time to save for the future."
A May 24, 2008, Anchorage Daily News article said Palin "axed about 10 percent of the spending that state legislators approved for hometown projects," a total amounting to $268 million. The newspaper reported that it was the "second year in a row Palin vetoed projects dear to legislators."
Verdict: True