FactChecking Biden’s CNN Town Hall

In a televised town hall, former Vice President Joe Biden made several false or misleading statements while commenting on climate change, veterans and health care:

• Before describing the effects of climate change on his home state of Delaware, Biden incorrectly said the state was “only 3 feet above sea level.” Parts of the state are at that elevation or lower, but the average across the state is 60 feet above sea level.
• Biden also said two-thirds of his state is “in jeopardy” and that there are “close to a trillion dollars of loss up and down the coast.” While sea level rise is a real problem for Delaware, the coastal loss estimate is unsupported, and only 8% to 11% of the state is projected to lose land mass by 2100, not two-thirds of the state.
• Asked about expanding a veterans benefit program, Biden said that “only 1% of our population serves” in the military. Less than 1% of Americans actively serve in the military, but veterans make up 7.1% of the civilian population 18 years and older.
• Biden falsely claimed that a $30 trillion to $40 trillion price tag over 10 years for Medicare for All would be