McClatchy Newspapers  Back to: News October 16, 2012 Follow News
Presidential debate: Shouting over the ‘facts’  WASHINGTON —
President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney
traded facts and figures from Medicare to the Middle East on
Tuesday night in the second of three presidential debates.  But
not everything the candidates said during the high-stakes debate
at Long Island’s Hofstra University was concrete correct. Here’s
a fact check of some of what they said:   In response to the
debate’s first question, Romney said: “I want to make sure we
keep our Pell Grant program growing. We’re also going to have
our own loan program, so that people are able to afford school.”
Romney has argued that “a flood of federal dollars” is
contributing to the increasing cost of higher education. In an
education white paper he vowed not to “write a blank check to
universities to reward their tuition increases.” Romney’s
campaign said he would not reduce the maximum Pell Grant award
of $5,550 a year.   Romney su