No, Sen. Warren didn’t say citizens shouldn’t know about government spending | Fact check
The claim: Elizabeth Warren said Constitution doesn't give citizens a right to know how tax dollars are spent
A Feb. 7 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) includes a purported quote from U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
“There is nothing in the constitution that says ordinary Americans have a right to see what we’re spending tax dollars on,” reads Warren’s supposed statement, which is dated Jan. 30.
It was liked more than 10,000 times in 10 days. A similar Facebook post was shared more than 1,000 times in five days.
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Our rating: False
There is no evidence Warren said the quote in the post. It doesn’t appear on her website or social media accounts, nor are there any credible news reports of her making such a statement.
Posts spread fake Warren quote about government spending
Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, has been a vocal critic of billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, claiming in a letter that it was “violating the U.S. Constitution and a variety of laws” by accessing payment systems at the Treasury Department and sensitive data at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, The Wall Street Journal reported.
However, there is no evidence that Warren made the statement attributed to her in the Instagram post.
There are no credible news reports of Warren making such a statement, nor does anything similar appear on Warren’s website or social media accounts. Warren issued two different news releases on Jan. 30, but neither included the statement in question.
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Warren also made a Jan. 30 appearance on “The View,” where she talked about the deadly mid-air collision between a passenger jet and a U.S. Army helicopter over the Potomac River and her role in the Senate confirmation hearings for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks. She also discussed ways Democrats can hold the Trump administration accountable, but she did not say the quote from the Instagram post.
The claim in the fake quote isn’t correct either. The U.S. Constitution includes an appropriations clause in Article 1 that says, "No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law, and a regular statement and account of the receipts and expenditures of all public money shall be published from time to time.”
Paste BN reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
PolitiFact also debunked the claim.
Our fact-check sources
- The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 12, Warren, Waters Warn Bank Regulators Against Aiding ‘Unlawful’ DOGE Actions
- Elizabeth Warren, accessed Feb. 17, Newsroom
- Elizabeth Warren, Jan. 30, At Hearing, Army Secretary Nominee Agrees with Warren’s Right to Repair Cost-Cutting Recommendations
- Elizabeth Warren, Jan. 30, Warren Warns Hegseth Against Going After Former Joint Chiefs Chairman General Milley, Demands Reinstatement of Pentagon Watchdog
- The View (YouTube), Jan. 30, Sen. Elizabeth Warren On DC Plane Crash And RFK Jr., Gabbard Hearings | The View
- The View (YouTube), Jan. 30, Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Call To Action For Democrats | The View
- Constitution Annotated, accessed Feb. 17, ArtI.S9.C7.1 Overview of Appropriations Clause
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