AP FACT CHECK: Claims from Biden's joint address to Congress

President Joe Biden is giving his first joint address to Congress, and an AP Fact Check is examining his statements and the Republican response

WASHINGTON -- The Associated Press is fact-checking remarks from President Joe Biden's first address to a joint session of Congress and the Republican response. A look at some of the claims we’ve examined: BIDEN: "When I was vice president, the president asked me to focus on providing help needed to address the root causes of migration. And it helped keep people in their own countries instead of being forced to leave. The plan was working, but the last administration decided it was not worth it. I’m restoring the program and I asked Vice President Harris to lead our diplomatic effort to take care of this.” THE FACTS: That's wrong. Biden led President Barack Obama’s efforts to address a spike in migration from Central America, but poverty and violence have been endemic for decades. Hundreds of millions of dollars of U.S. aid have gone to Central America annually, even during Donald Trump’s presidency, but migration from Mexico and Central America has continued unabated with periodic spikes.