Fact check: 3 lies in Senate Leadership Fund’s attack ad against Sherrod Brown on immigration policy and veterans’ health care

NewsSenate Leadership Fund is airing an ad accusing Sherrod Brown of supporting taxpayer-funded benefits for undocumented immigrants while trying to eliminate veterans’ health care.Senate Leadership FundSenate Leadership Fund is airing an ad accusing Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Sherrod Brown of supporting taxpayer-funded benefits for undocumented immigrants while trying to eliminate veterans’ health care.We found three claims in their video that are lies.1. “Taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal immigrants. That’s Sherrod Brown’s plan.”The truth: The ad cites H.R. 676, a 2005 universal health-care bill that Brown co-sponsored when he was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation would have created a national health insurance program covering U.S. residents and did not include an exclusion for undocumented immigrants.It never passed, and the ad presents a proposal from two decades ago as his current plan even though his 2026 platform does not propose reviving the bill.2. “Sherrod Brown tried to eliminate VA healthcare.”The truth: This claim also relies on H.R. 676, which would have kept Department of Veterans Affairs health-care programs independent for five years before integrating them into a universal health-care system rather than eliminating health-care benefits for veterans. Brown has also supported legislation expanding veterans’ health care, including the PACT Act in 2022.3. “We fought for ours; Sherrod Brown fights for them.”The truth: The ad implies Brown supported health care for undocumented immigrants at the expense of veterans, but his record does not establish such a tradeoff. H.R. 676 proposed universal coverage rather than taking veterans’ coverage away, while Brown subsequently supported major expansions and protections of veterans’ health care. Vivek Ramaswamy ad lies about Amy Acton’s energy policiesFact check: 3 lies in V-PAC’s attack ad blaming Amy Acton for COVID-era job losses and rising costsFact check: 4 lies in NRCC attack ad targeting Marcy Kaptur on immigration policyFact check: 4 lies in Right Direction PAC’s ad questioning Amy Acton’s conduct and leadership3 lies in ad attacking U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur’s votes on immigrantsThe Cleveland.com Express Desk uses AI tools to assist in producing content, which is reviewed and edited by staff.