State of the Union 2026: Nine Claims from Langworthy's Response, Checked Against the Data

Why This Matters for NY-23

Following President Trump’s 2026 State of the Union address, Rep. Langworthy posted three Facebook responses and an official statement containing at least nine specific factual claims about the economy, border security, and fentanyl. These claims directly affect how NY-23 constituents understand the policies shaping their household budgets, job prospects, and community safety. This entry checks each claim against publicly available data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Consumer Price Index, Customs and Border Protection, CDC, and independent fact-checkers.

The Statements

Source 1: Facebook post (February 24, 2026):

“$18 trillion in investments from across the globe in one year versus $1 trillion in all 4 years of the Biden Administration. We are creating new PRIVATE SECTOR jobs–including 70,000 in the construction industry alone –and wages are rising. This is what America First looks like.”

Source 2: Facebook post (February 24, 2026):

“Fentanyl is a weapon of mass destruction–the leading cause of death for Americans 18-45– and it was deliberately being pumped across our open border to weaken our country. No more.”

Graphic text: “FENTANYL TRAFFICKING IS DOWN 56% ACROSS THE BORDER”

Source 3: Official statement on the 2026 State of the Union (February 24, 2026):

“His speech correctly pointed out the facts on how our America First policies are delivering results: taxes and prices are down, private sector job growth and wages are up, mortgage rates are at the lowest rate in 4 years, fentanyl trafficking is down 56% and the border is secure, with zero illegal crossings last month.”

Claim-by-Claim Analysis

Claim 1: “$18 trillion in investments from across the globe in one year”

Verdict: FALSE

The $18 trillion figure originated from President Trump and has been rated false by multiple independent fact-checkers, including PolitiFact and the Cato Institute (a libertarian/free-market think tank).

The Cato Institute published a detailed analysis titled “Trump’s Eighteen Trillion Dollar Hoax.” PolitiFact noted that the White House’s own list — at $9.6 trillion — is roughly half Trump’s claim, and that even the $9.6 trillion figure includes items that are not capital investments. Some commitments on the White House list were initiated during the Biden administration.

In plain language: No publicly available source documents $18 trillion in completed investments. The White House’s own list totals $9.6 trillion, and independent analysts say even that figure inflates actual investment by including pledges, future purchases, and multi-year aspirational goals.

Claim 2: “100% of US job growth is in the private sector”

Verdict: MISLEADING

This is technically accurate. The federal government shed approximately 327,000 jobs (10.9% of the federal workforce) due to DOGE-driven layoffs and deferred resignation programs, meaning all net job growth occurred in the private sector.

The BLS preliminary benchmark revision for March 2025 revised total nonfarm employment downward by 911,000 jobs, indicating the labor market was significantly weaker than initially reported.

In plain language: The statement is technically true because the federal government lost 327,000 jobs. Total job growth in 2025 was 181,000 — roughly one-tenth the pace of 2024’s 2 million jobs.

Claim 3: “70,000 in the construction industry alone”

Verdict: NOT SUPPORTED

BLS data does not support a 70,000-job construction figure for any standard recent reporting period.

The 70,000 figure may refer to a cherry-picked multi-month window, but it does not correspond to any standard BLS reporting period. Without a specified timeframe, the claim cannot be verified.

Claim 4: “Wages are rising”

Verdict: TRUE — with context

Real wages are rising — this is accurate. However, the trend of positive real wage growth began in mid-2023 and continued through 2024, well before the current administration took office. Workers are recovering purchasing power lost during the 2021-2023 inflation surge.

Claim 5: “Prices are down”

Verdict: FALSE

No major price index shows an overall decline in prices. The rate of price increases has slowed (disinflation), but prices continue to rise.

In plain language: Prices are not down. They are rising more slowly than in 2022-2023, but every major price index shows year-over-year increases. A slower rate of inflation is not the same as a decline in prices.

Claim 6: “Mortgage rates are at the lowest rate in 4 years”

Verdict: MISLEADING

The current 6.01% rate is the lowest since roughly late 2022 or early 2023 — about three years, not four. Freddie Mac’s own press release described it as the lowest in “more than three years.” Four years ago, mortgage rates were approximately half what they are today.

In plain language: Mortgage rates have come down from their 2023 peak (~7.8%), but at 6.01% they remain nearly double the ~3.5% rate of February 2022. Freddie Mac described the current rate as the lowest in “more than three years,” not four.

Claim 7: “Fentanyl trafficking is down 56% across the border”

Verdict: MISLEADING

A RAND analyst told FactCheck.org that without knowing how much fentanyl is actually crossing the border, seizure data alone cannot determine whether trafficking has increased or decreased. Lower seizures could mean less trafficking, or it could mean less is being intercepted.

Additional context:

• 84% of fentanyl seizures occur at legal ports of entry, not between ports
• U.S. citizens account for approximately 81% of all fentanyl smuggling arrests at the southwest border (FY2019-2024), per the Cato Institute
• The decline in fentanyl overdose deaths began in mid-2023, under the Biden administration. CDC reported a 30.6% decline in fentanyl deaths from 2023 to 2024 — before Trump took office.

Claim 8: “Zero illegal crossings last month”

Verdict: FALSE

DHS reported “zero releases” — meaning Border Patrol did not release apprehended individuals into the interior through catch-and-release. This is a processing policy, not a count of border crossings. There were 34,626 apprehensions in January 2026.

In plain language: “Zero releases” and “zero crossings” are different metrics. DHS reported “zero releases,” a processing policy. CBP recorded 34,626 apprehensions in January 2026.

Claim 9: “It was deliberately being pumped across our open border to weaken our country”

Verdict: NOT SUPPORTED

No U.S. intelligence agency has concluded that fentanyl is being “deliberately pumped” into the country as a coordinated strategy to “weaken” the United States. The Congressional Research Service characterizes the fentanyl supply chain as driven by profit — Chinese companies supply precursor chemicals to Mexican cartels, which manufacture and smuggle fentanyl into the U.S. primarily through legal ports of entry. A Stanford FSI analysis describes the fentanyl crisis as involving shared responsibility among the U.S., Mexico, and China, none of which has fully addressed its role in the supply chain.

The characterization of an “open border” is also inconsistent with the fentanyl data: 84% of seizures occur at legal ports of entry, and 81% of smuggling arrests involve U.S. citizens.

Summary Table

Overall: Of nine claims, three are rated FALSE, three MISLEADING, two NOT SUPPORTED, and one TRUE with additional context noted above.

Questions This Raises

1. Langworthy’s statement says “prices are down.” The CPI shows prices rose 2.4% year-over-year. What data is Langworthy referencing?

2. The $18 trillion investment figure has been rated false by PolitiFact and the Cato Institute. The White House’s own documented list totals $9.6 trillion. On what basis does Langworthy cite $18 trillion?

3. DHS reported “zero releases” while CBP recorded 34,626 apprehensions. What metric is Langworthy citing when he says “zero illegal crossings”?

4. The decline in fentanyl deaths began in mid-2023. Has Langworthy’s office attributed the decline to specific policies, and if so, which ones?

5. CBP data shows 84% of fentanyl seizures occur at legal ports of entry, and 81% of smuggling arrests involve U.S. citizens. What does Langworthy mean by “open border” in this context?

Related Fact-Checks

• Langworthy Claims ‘Largest Middle-Class Tax Cut in History.’ What the Data Shows. — The tax cut claim from Langworthy’s February 22 newsletter, also repeated in the SOTU statement
• “One Year. Real Results.” — Earlier pattern of claiming credit for economic trends

Sources

Investment Claims:

• PolitiFact: Trump’s $18 Trillion Investment Claim
• Cato Institute: Trump’s Eighteen Trillion Dollar Hoax
• FactCheck.org: Fact-Checking Trump’s State of the Union

Jobs and Wages:

• BLS: Employment Situation Summary, January 2026
• BLS: Real Earnings Summary, January 2026
• FRED: All Employees, Construction

Prices:

• BLS: Consumer Price Index Summary, January 2026
• USDA: Food Price Outlook

Mortgage Rates:

• Freddie Mac: Primary Mortgage Market Survey
• FRED: 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average

Fentanyl:

• CDC: Drug Overdose Death Rate Data Brief No. 549
• FactCheck.org: SOTU Fact Check — Fentanyl Seizures
• Reason: 5 Reasons to Doubt Trump’s Fentanyl Boast
• Cato Institute: US Citizens 80% of Fentanyl Crossers at Ports of Entry
• American Immigration Council: Fentanyl Smuggling Fact Sheet

Border Crossings:

• DHS: Historic 9th Straight Month of Zero Releases
• CBP: Southwest Land Border Encounters

SOTU Fact Checks (General):

• NPR: Annotated Fact Check of Trump’s SOTU
• CNN: Fact Check — State of the Union 2026

All information in this entry is drawn from publicly available sources including the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, Congressional Budget Office, Customs and Border Protection, Centers for Disease Control, Freddie Mac, and independent fact-checking organizations.

Last updated: February 25, 2026