| Category | 1968 | 1980 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | 905,000 | 558,000 | 307,000 |
| Aircraft | 15,500 | 10,100 | 5,600 |
| Budget (2015 $) | $545B | $393B | $140B |
We checked other years too: between WWII and Vietnam, the counts were much higher due to the Korean War. In summary, any way you measure it, Rubio is correct: the Air Force is the smallest now whether you count personnel, aircraft, or budget.
As Rubio pushed immigration reform, he warned, "If nothing happens in Congress, this president will be tempted to issue an executive order like he did for the DREAM Act kids a year ago, where he basically legalizes 11 million people by the sign of a pen."
Most experts say that's an extreme scenario and would invite legal challenges as well as a political backlash. More likely is that Obama could extend deferred action to additional subsets of the undocumented population, pushing them lower on the priority list. That might be relief for them, but it's also a legal limbo that falls short of legalization. We rated Rubio's statement Mostly False.
|
The above quotations are from Fact-checking on 2016 presidential, gubernatorial, and Senate campaigns.
Click here for other excerpts from Fact-checking on 2016 presidential, gubernatorial, and Senate campaigns. Click here for other excerpts by Marco Rubio. Click here for a profile of Marco Rubio.
Please consider a donation to OnTheIssues.org!
| Click for details -- or send donations to: 1770 Mass Ave. #630, Cambridge MA 02140 E-mail: submit@OnTheIssues.org (We rely on your support!) |