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, ...
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.
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.
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.
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 ...
For four years, we balanced the budget and paid off $405 billion in debt.