Analysis · Speech on a bill · beta

Sara Jacobs

Democrat on National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 2026-07-21

292 words · 14 sentences · 18 clauses

Statement grade

B+

Average 82 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Claims 85%Positioning 9%Procedure 6%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Chair, Claims · 152 wordsmy colleague says that we are just fear- mongering about what these bans would actually mean, but we have actually already seen how trans sports bans have been used to target all girls. A high school athletic association secretly investigated a female athlete without telling her or her parents to see if she was trans.¹ She was not. The same association had investigated other complaints, receiving them because ``an athlete doesn’t look feminine enough,’’ and none of those allegations that the students were trans were verified to be true.² In another incident, a Utah State school board member falsely suggested in 2024 that a high school basketball athlete was trans, subjecting her to relentless harassment and bullying, including threats of violence.³ In Florida, a school investigated a trans student’s participation in girls’ sports, and investigators repeatedly asked other individuals, all children, to describe how the student appeared in various stages of undress.⁴ Positioning · 24 wordsIf this does not disturb you about how our young girls will be treated in sports, then you are clearly not paying any attention.PositioningUnearned certainty Procedure · 3 wordsLet’s be clear: ProcedureUnearned certaintyClaims · 25 wordsTrans girls and trans women are much more likely--four times more likely than Cis people to be the victims of violent crime, not the perpetrator.⁵ Procedure · 6 wordsLet’s also be clear about something.ProcedureUnearned certainty Claims · 71 wordsThe author of this amendment has led her own investigations that have failed, trying to prevent our colleagues from being able to use the restroom. She is talking about the right to vote. Her side of the aisle is literally pushing to take away a woman’s right to vote because of the SAVE Act, ⁶and Secretary Hegseth doesn’t think women should have the right to vote or serve in the military. Positioning · 3 wordsThis is absurd.PositioningOff point Procedure · 8 wordsI yield back the balance of my time.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 84

5 of 13 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “If this does not disturb you about how our young girls will be treated in sports, then you are clearly not paying any attention.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Let’s be clear:”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “Let’s also be clear about something.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “This is absurd.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I yield back the balance of my time.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · 72

5 of 13 deductions are Relevance

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue. Measured against the bill under debate.

Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “The author of this amendment has led her own investigations that have failed, trying to prevent our colleagues from being able to use the restroom.”Pivots to attacks on the amendment’s author over restroom investigations, not the amendment’s substance.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “She is talking about the right to vote.”Introduces voting rights, a topic outside the amendment.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “Her side of the aisle is literally pushing to take away a woman’s right to vote because of the SAVE Act,”Makes a political point about the SAVE Act rather than the amendment.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “and Secretary Hegseth doesn’t think women should have the right to vote or serve in the military.”Attacks Secretary Hegseth on voting and military service, unrelated to the amendment.
Talking about something other than the matter at hand: the question asked, or the bill, motion or speech under debate.What the tags mean “This is absurd.”A rhetorical flourish capping the off-topic attacks on the other side.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 91

3 of 13 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “you are clearly not paying any attention”Asserts certainty about the audience’s attention rather than offering a source.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “Let’s be clear:”A certainty formula that introduces the following claim in place of a source.
Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “Let’s also be clear”The same certainty formula substituting for a cited source.

Claims · 6

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“A high school athletic association secretly investigated a female athlete without telling her or her parents to see if she was trans”A high school athletic association secretly investigated a female athlete for being trans without telling her or her parents.search
2“``an athlete doesn’t look feminine enough,’’”The same athletic association received complaints against students based on the stated reason that ‘an athlete doesn’t look feminine enough,’ and none of the allegations that those students were trans were verified true.search
3“falsely suggested in 2024 that a high school basketball athlete was trans”In 2024, a Utah State school board member publicly suggested a high school basketball athlete was trans, leading to harassment and threats against her.search
4“investigators repeatedly asked other individuals, all children, to describe how the student appeared in various stages of undress”In Florida, investigators of a trans student’s participation in girls’ sports asked other children to describe how the student appeared in various stages of undress.search
5“four times more likely than Cis people to be the victims of violent crime”Trans people are four times more likely than cisgender people to be victims of violent crime.search
6“the SAVE Act”The SAVE Act is legislation that its opponents say would make it harder for some women to vote.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15