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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Harris’ Position on Health Care for Transgender Prisoners and Detainees

Harris’ Position on Health Care for Transgender Prisoners and Detainees

Q: Does Kamala Harris support government-paid gender-affirming surgery for prison inmates and immigrant detainees?

A: The government must provide medical care to prisoners and immigrant detainees. Vice President Kamala Harris expressed support in a 2019 questionnaire for “medically necessary” gender-affirming care, including surgical care, for federal prisoners and detainees. She has not detailed her position in the current campaign.

The Humanitarian Parole Program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans

The Humanitarian Parole Program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans

Q:  Did the Biden administration secretly fly over 300,000 migrants to the U.S.?

A: As of January, the Department of Homeland Security had admitted about 357,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans it vetted and authorized to fly to the U.S. through a humanitarian parole program. The travelers pay for the flights.

Online Claims Misrepresent Washington Bill Aimed at Runaway Transgender Youth

Online Claims Misrepresent Washington Bill Aimed at Runaway Transgender Youth

Q: Does a proposed law in Washington state say that the government can take children away from parents who don’t agree to gender transition surgery?

A: No. Under the bill, licensed youth shelters no longer have to report the location of a runaway child to the child’s parents if the child is seeking gender-affirming or reproductive care. Instead, the shelters must notify the state’s child services department.

U.S. Selling Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Highest Bidding Companies

U.S. Selling Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to the Highest Bidding Companies

Q: Is the Biden administration selling crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to other countries?

A: The oil is sold to eligible companies that make the highest offers. Some of the companies are U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, and some that purchased oil have then exported a portion to buyers overseas. Exports increase the global supply and still help with U.S. gas prices, experts told us.

Border Patrol Required to Provide Formula to Detained Infants

Border Patrol Required to Provide Formula to Detained Infants

Q: Has the Biden administration sent “pallets” of infant formula to the border amid a nationwide shortage?
A: Yes. Customs and Border Protection, the agency that first encounters and then processes immigrants, is legally required to provide formula to infants in its care and has been doing so during the recent shortage.  

Answering Questions About #BeagleGate

Answering Questions About #BeagleGate

Q: Did Dr. Anthony Fauci fund experiments on beagles?

A: Fauci is the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which has provided grants for medical studies using the dogs as test subjects. But the NIAID denied funding one particular project in which sedated beagles had their heads placed in mesh cages so sand flies could bite them.

What We Know About the Claims of Military Dogs Left in Kabul

What We Know About the Claims of Military Dogs Left in Kabul

Q: Did the U.S. abandon its military dogs during its withdrawal from Afghanistan?

A: The Department of Defense maintains that none of its military service dogs were left behind. But animal welfare groups say some contract working dogs — which did not belong to the U.S., though some may have been contracted by the military — were left at the Kabul airport.

Understanding Pennsylvania’s Proposed Bill on Handling Fetal Remains

Understanding Pennsylvania’s Proposed Bill on Handling Fetal Remains

Q: Did Pennsylvania lawmakers vote to “fine” women who miscarry? 

A: No. But a bill proposes to mandate that health care providers bury or cremate fetal remains, regardless of when or how the pregnancy ends. Experts say such requirements could translate to additional costs for women or their insurers.

No Evidence Vaccines Impact Fertility

No Evidence Vaccines Impact Fertility

Q: Do the COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility?
A: There’s no evidence that approved vaccines cause fertility loss. Although clinical trials did not study the issue, loss of fertility has not been reported among thousands of trial participants nor confirmed as an adverse event among millions who have been vaccinated.