claim: "for four years, we balanced the budget and paid off $405 billion in debt."
author: newt gingrich
evidence_1: dec 16, 2011 ... the claim that gingrich "balanced the budget for four straight years (and) paid off  $405 billion in debt" sounded familiar. it turns out that we originally fact-checked it  when gingrich made it on may 11, 2011, when he released a video to launch his  presidential campaign. in that video, he said, "for four years, ...
evidence_2: dec 20, 2011 ... they examined gingrich's claim that, “for four years, we balanced the budget and  paid off $405 billion in debt,” and declared the statement false. the first two  budgets that were created when gingrich was speaker – for fiscal 1996 and 1997  – did not balance. the next two years, there was a surplus.
evidence_3: jan 27, 2012 ... 15, 2011) • "for four years, we balanced the budget and paid off $405 billion in  debt." (video announcement that he would run for president, may 11, 2011) all  earned a rating of false because gingrich was taking credit for two budgets that  he had no role in assembling or shepherding through the house.
evidence_4: jan 3, 2012 ... in the four years i was speaker, not only did we balance the budget, paid off $405  billion of debt, we balanced it for four straight years, two while i was speaker and  two in the immediate following years based on the policies we established. but in  addition to all that, there were 11 million new jobs created.
evidence_5: says the new dodd-frank financial law requires a 20 percent down payment to  buy a house. — politifact national on thursday, july 21st, 2011. false. only part  of these achievements on his watch. newt gingrich · "for four years, we balanced  the budget and paid off $405 billion in debt." — politifact national on ...