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rodney davis faces ann callis. the race leans republican. up next, a debate between the candidates. [applause] >> welcome to the 13th congressional district candidates debate. we wanted to make this debate different from others you've seen. we are going in depth on a few topics to get to the heart of what these candidates believe. there are no podiums, just two people who want to represent you in congress. let me introduce them now. republican rodney davis and democrat ann callis. asking the questions tom case sis. my role is asking for clarification when need, making sure things keep moving for you

and our studio audience. we're going to take questions for the candidates from our viewers and listeners on twitter and facebook. let's get to it. it's been about a year since the launch of insurance exchanges under the affordable care act. we drew straws and quongman davis gets the first question. >> congressman davis you pivotted from wanting to repeal and replace the affordable care act. what has changed? >> nothing has changed. i don't believe i've pivotted at all. i've been clear since i was a candidate for this office and since i've been serving. i would be for repealing and replacing and i've led the charge to make fixing to the affordable care act and i'm going to continue do do that. my latest fix was a hire more

heroes act. it came from my advisory board to ensure veterans who are receiving their healthcare wouldn't count toward the affordable care act 50 employee limit and that would incentivize small businesses to hire more heroes that. went to legislation. it passed the house of representatives with only one no vote. you can't get much more bipartisan than that. it's waiting in the senate to be heard. it passed the house again as part of a larger package and it sits in the senate with over 380 good pieces of legislation, many common sense fixes to the affordable care act. >> spevingically what would you change or repeal? >> that's one change i led the charge on. i'm proud to be talking about that change. i want to make sure we put together a plan that's not going

to cost consumers more. when you look at the affordable care act, there were many in illinois that signed up for private policies. 185,000 individuals were estimated to have lost their coverage before the affordable care act. the coverage they were promised they could keep. those are the types of changes why we need a system that's going to cover preexisting conditions. to make sure we have no lifetime caps. make sure that youngsters who can't find a job are able to stay on their parent's insurance plans until they are 26. we can't continue to see families have to pay more. and in the first year, besides the fact that $2 billion was spent on a website, many families, especially women over the age of 55 are paying an average of $2100 to $2800 more per year for coverage tifpblet crease on families has to stop and i want to make the fixes that are necessary and many of those is it stalled in the united states senate and they need to move to the president's desk.

>> same question to you. are there parts of the law you'd like to see changed? >> i think mr. davis has developed political amnesia because he voted 50 times to repeal at this time a.c.a. and shut down our government to the tune of $24 billion because he didn't like the law. but traveling around our district people do like parts of it and people i've heard as it unfolds having become a candidate when it first came out and now traveling around that people like they can stay on their parent's insurance policy until they are 26 since we have nine colleges and universities in this district. seniors like the prescription drug savings close to $2,000 a year and no discrimination against preexisting conditions. they do like that. and i hear more and more stories, for instance a woman came to my office about a month

ago and five or six years ago her son had developed non-hodge kins limp foam massachusetts he was aged out of her insurance and she shopped around to get him treatment. it was expensive and her son finally passed away. and she believes if the a.c.a. were in place at the her son would be alive. i hear stories like that. we have to keep in place what works. 14,000 people in our district in the 13th congressional district have insurance now that didn't before the a.c.a. was passed. so to take congressman davis and his party's position to rip that away from 14,000 people isn't what we should do. we should see what works and what i would do is travel around the district and listen. have office hours. listen to what people are saying so anecdotele evidence would

turn into impeer cal evidence and we can fix what doesn't work. >> are there any things you don't think work? >> if people want to stay on their own insurance policy they should be able to. i hear that a lot. i hear about some small businesses would like to increase the size instead of 50 to receive the subsidy. so i do hear that. those are two specific things i would try to start working on and of course lowering the cost for middle class and our working families. that's how i would listen and see how it unfolds and get right to work. >> we want to get to cost. >> if one of the goals of the affordable care act is to make healthcare more affordable to cover more people, we have people who are signing up for medicaid and subsidies but for those that don't qualify but see their premiums rising, what can congress do to make it more

afford snble >> one woman came up to me and she's never had insurance. she's self-employed and she's terrified that's going to be ripped away if the republicans have their way and repeal the a.c.a. again, it's listening. listening to the people and how we contain cost. that was the goal of the a.c.a. is lowering the cost. what can we do to lower the cost and listen and get to work. >> you have no specifics in mind right now? >> yes, i think we should, as i mentioned before, that we should be able to with companies that are r50 plus companies should be able to possibly receive some of those subsidies and people should be able to stay on their own insurance and that would lower cost. >> same question, if the goal of the a.c.a. is to lower cost for people, do you see that happening? >> if we're success informal

changing the affordable care act with a market based approach it's going to cover preexisting conditions and continue to make sure there are no lifetime caps and make common sense changes like the hire more heroes act. i appreciate my opponent reminding the viewers i voted 50 times to repeal or replace or change the affordable care act. it's actually 54. i would ask which of those 54 votes would she not have taken? what would she support or not support? these are common sense changes we've tried to implement. that's why i'm going to continue to fight to lower premiums. i'm on obama care by law members of congress have to sign up for their healthcare benefits on the a.c.a. exchange. my premiums went up. my deductibles went up. and in my families case i've reached the out of pocket maximum due to an illness

because my wife is a 15 year colon cancer survivor. we've seen how families strug toll meet that out of pocket maximum. those are real cost to real families and we need to make real changes to this law. >> before we get to the next topic we have a question from twitter. about half of this district will vote for the other candidate. how will you represent the other half if you win? >> the exact same way i've been representing the entire district for the last almost two years. i believe i've gone to washington making the promise that i wanted to pass a farm bill. not only i did help pass a farm bill. i helped write it into it's final completion a's member of the conference committee. a committee where both members of congress come together where w members from the senate and work out our differences and put together a good common sense

piece of legislation. and that's what we did to make sure agriculture remains a pillar of a growing economy and saved taxpayers $23 billion. it's the common sense fixes i'm going to continue to do on a district wide basis regardless of whether or not one votes for me. >> i'm glad congressman davis did help pass the farm bill. but this is the most non-productive congress since we've measured congress. it's a do nothing congress and we need to start getting things done. when i was chief judge, in a bipartisan way instituted significant court reforms. started the first veterans court in the state of illinois and i'm glad to see that congressman davis showed an interest in our veterans. but we started that rude meant you willryly. when i put a committee together

to start reform, i never cared if that person were republican or democrat, we put the best people on that committee to get the job done. we were able to create the first veterans court in the state of illinois, no taxpayer dollars, recruiting the best people to be a part of that program. it's grown to be a model for our nation. hundreds and hundreds of veterans have gone through that program and graduated. they don't reoffend. it was nominated for a national awarpped and won. a few months ago i had two veterans come up to me separately and they told me the veterans court saved their lives. it was the first time they felt like someone cared about what they were going through. i think i have a record of

reaching across the aisle and getting things done and that's what i would do. i always had an open door policy as chief judge, listening and then acting. >> next topic. jobs and economy. the first question for judge. >> there is increasing the minimum wage but the congressional budget office said it could lift 900,000 people out of poverty but a half million could lose their jobs. business owners say they can't afford it and they'd have to lay off people or push the price on. do you support that? >> absolutely. i have traveled around this district and gone to many community centers. people are choosing between food and diapers. people are going to school full time and trying to better themselves and they are falling further beneath the poverty line. it's time we raise minimum wage in this nation. 6-10 minimum wage earners are women.

many of them heads of households. then when we raise the minimum wage, these people then are moving into commerce and spending money and reinvigorating our community. >> is there anything you would want to imp meant to off set the cost to businesses who might struggle to raise that wage for their workers? >> i just think it's time we raise the minimum wage. again, as chief judge i listened and had an open door policy. if i would of course listen and see what was going on and see if actually businesses were cost were raised. but fundamentally it's time we raise the minute wage. i hear frit so many people in the community centers traveling around our district and it's

just time. >> congressman, do you support raising the federal minute numb stpwhage >> i would support an increase as long as it was paired with off set,, tax credits, similar to a bill i introduced to allow for tax drotes allow businesses to hire young apprentices in the trades and labor. we need to grow infrastructure jobs. we need to off set cost. that's not the most partisan organization thattest mates without any off sets 500,000 families would lose their job. i don't want any family to lose their job. we need to find solutions to grow our economy. illinois is lagging behind the rest of the nation. as a matter of fact, illinois over the first seven months of this year has been last in job creation because we have a dysfunctional government in

springfield. we need to work toward creating real jobs. i'm happy to be joined by my dad tonight. my dad walked into a brand new restaurant called mcdonalds and he started working a minimum wage job. starting flipping hamburgers and had no intention of staying there. my dad worked his way up and because he did that, he allowed my family to achieve the american dream and no young person should ever listen to a policy maker that says you should turn your minimum-wage job into your career now. because your career should be the american dream, not keeping a job that is paying you minimum wagering out. i go to colleges and talk to many students and asked them if they are on minimal wage. many do. i ask him any of you want to stay in that career and none of them are raised.

if we raise the minimum wage, it will cost our universities and colleges millions to lament any minimum wage at a time when the state is not fully funding higher education. it is a time when students will have to be laid off on the job when they are working so hard to help pay for their ever-increasing costs of college education. >> the congressional budget office reported that the lowest earners in the middle class of lost ground in the past three decades while the income of the highest earners have grown sometimes by three digits. is it the government's role to address income inequality and, if so, how would you do that? >> one way to address income inequality is by minute -- by raising the minimum wage. i don't know what student to talk to that would have a

minimum-wage job that would keep them from falling further into the poverty line. i heard him point his finger at the dysfunctional government in springfield, but what about the dysfunctional government in washington, d.c. today? that is one way we can address income inequality. also, it's time that we passed the paycheck fairness act. i talked to many women around this district and the fact that in illinois 70 plus cents on the dollar that women make not commensurate with men. it is time we do that. also, we could even -- even warren buffett has said it is unfair that he pays a lesser tax rate than even his secretary pays. we need to reform the tax code, specially closing the loop holes for corporations. >> i will tell you, when we look at the minimum wage, and the students i talked to, let me make myself perfectly clear, many of them work at the

universities to pay their way through college. when the university tells us they will have to lay off students, that is not a net positive if they can't have an offset to that minimum-wage increase. we want the students to continue to work through their education. we need to also look at equal pay. i will tell you the best thing you can do to find out on a politician how they view equal pay is look at what they can control. if you look at my office, i pay the women in my office $4000 more per year. my opponent, when she was in charge of the county court system there was unable pay from anywhere to 8% to 15% per year. >> what about income inequality?

should the tax could be changed? 's absent -- >> absolutely. we need to grow our economy to grow jobs. we need to do everything we can to create good paying careers and that is exactly what i have tried to do throughout my short time in washington. that is why i helped write and work through the entire process for the water infrastructure bill. water infrastructure is enormously important to our entire district's economy. most of the products or go up and down the mississippi river screams the old district of illinois. we need to put folks back to work and that is the first step. >> you have been talking about university students.

we got tweets from two of them. i am a student and an undocumented immigrant. how do you support students like me? how about comprehensive immigration reform. >> massac county was unionized and i am honored to have the support. we would do negotiations. i don't know where he is coming from with that at all. it is time we pass comprehensive immigration reform. i have traveled around this district. students have addressed that. but also looking through and touring research park and talking to the executives at

yahoo!, their number one issue is comprehensive immigration reform. so it's time that mr. davis asked speaker boehner who came down to raise money for him, hey, let's pass comprehensive immigration reform. it is a difficult process. 10 to 13 years and people have to pay fines and have extensive background checks. it is a to the liberated -- it is a deliberative difficult process. if we pass competence of integration -- if we pass comprehensive immigration reform, the gdp will have $1.4 trillion into our nations economy in the next nine years. gdp after that would go up 5%. it is really time. i think it would be about $1.4 trillion added into our economy. >> i am open to discussing comprehensive immigration reform

package. but the one that passed in congress that my opponent supports will not pass in the house. we have good ideas to move in a step-by-step approach to address many of the issues at the students at the universities and colleges i am blessed enough to represent. i find it completely wrong for university\ies to attract -- for universities to attract students for degrees. we need scientists and cyber security. i find it wrong that we don't have a system in place that will then allow them to be employed here in america.

we tell them to come get educated here and then tell them to go back and compete against us. these are some of the types of provisions that we can't come together on. the far right in the far left don't want to solve this problem. we have a broken visa system. most of the illegal immigration in our system does not come from our southern border. they comes from our airports. we have to develop a system that will be a true solution without playing politics. i want to make sure that when my children as may 27 years from now which was the last time this issue is supposedly fixed, i want to make sure that we put a

solution on the table that is actually going to work to fix that broken visa system. >> last month, president obama and a handful of u.s. allies launched airstrikes against isis. obama recently described it as a "long-term campaign." tom gets to ask suffers question. >> so far, you have criticized the military action against the islamic state. what would success look like to you and how long are you willing to continue with just primarily airstrikes in that region? >> is a great question but i don't profess to be a military strategist and i don't have access to the intelligence that the president does. it is why i have supported him. he says he has listen to the generals under his command as commander-in-chief and he has told us this is a plan and the

strategy that will succeed. if he and the generals and their military leaders offer up a different strategy, i am willing to take a good look at that and consider it. i want to make sure that victory is wiping out isis. this is the most inhumane radical organization that we have seen in my lifetime. an organization that glorifies the heading individuals, an organization that is estimated at 31,000 soldiers, these are people who are waging a war against humanity. not a war against restraint hattie -- not a war against christianity and not a war against the west, most of those who have fallen our fellow muslims who were not pure enough. this is the type of battle that we have to rewrite it in this group. i believe we missed a golden opportunity to do so when isis was marching across the open desert of iraq. i wish he would have acted sooner. i was proud to support his plan

before we left washington just a few weeks ago. i stand ready to go back tomorrow if there is a better plan. >> how do you know if you have eradicated it? is there any way of telling? couldn't this go on forever? >> when isis does not control any towns or cities in iraq or syria, believe that is as close as we can get to eradicate. -- to eradication. that doesn't mean we stop. that doesn't mean we stop asking our allies to take the lead on the ground. that does not mean that we stop making sure that isis doesn't have the ability to regroup and make more tax on innocent americans and innocent syrians and iraqis. >> a recent pbs poll show that the majority of americans believe u.s. ground troops will be necessary. do you agree? >> i do have to separate my pressure all from my personal in this. my son is an army ranger, and infantry ranger. he was sent to kuwait. he is blessedly home now and i was able to welcome him home. but the airstrikes i did support. i am not privy to the security briefings. my son did not tell me much. one thing he did tell me was sheer and utter brutality that is going on there. so i think we will need to join with non-jihadist sunnis in iraq, a multilateral approach, not a new unilateral approach,

and listen to our military leaders. i know we have the best military in the world but we should not go in there unilaterally and yet on down. it would have to be a weight-nine-see. it is a -- a wait-and-see situation. >> would you support groups on the ground? >> if our military leaders say so and if it is a multilateral approach, i would. i haven't seen firsthand. i know we have the best fighting force in the nation. my son is now in a different unit and i know, if he is called over there, he and his brothers and sisters in arms will do the

best of their ability to defend our nation. >> do you think more terror attacks against the u.s. are inevitable? if so, should we be prepared to give up even more civil liberties than we have already? >> it's a balance. and i hope it is not inevitable. i hope not. having been a judge, i think any of these types of process is -- processes that would continue to gather information, whatever that means, that it should go through judicial process. but security has to be balanced with our freedoms and our individual rights. >> the way it has played out the last several years? >> having played a judge, yes. a little concerned. i think it should go through a worn system and go through a judicial process and have judicial oversight, absolutely. >> next, entitlements. federal programs like social security, medicare and medicaid, food stamps among others. >> social security is one of the largest domestic expenses of the federal government. with the baby boomer generation retiring, cbo expects the cost to keep rising without the

revenue to fully supported. -- support it. you say you want to preserve the system. how would you do that? would you be for changing benefits? >> social security is so important. traveling on the district, it is so important. a lot of people in this district, i was at a pig roast and an over -- an older woman grabbed my arm and said please do everything you can to protect social security. so i would be against any change cpi, raising the retirement age. but in a bipartisan manner, we could create a commission and see how we could keep social security solvent for not only now but for future and future generations. i saw my grandma who was an irish immigrant who came over and she was a nurse at saint elizabeth hospital. i saw her when she retired rely on her social security firsthand. so what should we keep on the table and possibly raising the payroll tax cap and where that

is, i don't know. i would have to listen. but it would be a great priority for me to keep social security solvent. and how we do that and how we could work together and get it done. >> if the payroll tax cap, if that option was not viable at the time, do you have any other area -- other ideas? >> i don't know why that would not be politically viable at the time. that should be on the table. but absolutely, i would be against any type of change cpi or raising the retirement age. >> same question. >> i want to say, first of all, thank you for correcting my error in grammar. inhumane and humane. i apologize to the viewers. i do agree with my opponent that we do need to create a bipartisan commission to do with social security. as we have seen actuaries say, social security will not be sustainable as is.

i hope we can have an adult obsession, a bipartisan conversation in washington to do so. that is exactly what was part of the ryan budget proposal to do, which was to create a bipartisan opportunity to discuss possible solutions to social security and its insolvency that is coming up in about 2032-2033. we both agree. we don't want to see benefits cut at all for anyone who is on social security and i want to continue to fight to make sure our social security recipients get everything they were promised. we need to make sure that we have social security notches for this generation but for future generations. i notice i did not get asked your question. i think by voting record clearly shows that i want that balanced approach between privacy and protecting americans. i want to make sure our intelligence officials don't acquire so much data and they tell us they need to find a

needle in the haystack that they make stay hack -- the haystack so large that they will never find a needle. i want to rein in issues that are a threat to our individual liberties. >> would you be for raising payroll taxes? >> i want to make sure we have a bipartisan commission that will discuss a portfolio solutions. i talked about discussing means testing. i don't think it is appropriate that bill gates can receive social security benefits when others who are living on social security have to do so. i think bill gates would gladly give up his social security benefits to save the system for those who need it the most. that needs to be part of the discussion. we need to make sure we have that adult conversation and i hope there are some new ideas that come out.

the president stood in the room speaking to a republican conference in washington and professed his support for changed cpi. many in the room were surprised by that. so i think the president will want to discuss change cbi and i don't know if that is a proposal that will become reality or not. >> both of you brought up bipartisanship. what would be your nonnegotiable? what is your top priority? >> those who are 55, 50 six and above and a receiving benefits right now see no benefit cuts whatsoever. >> is for social security? >> right. >> changed cpi, absolutely against that and raising the eligibility age for retirement. >> you mentioned the paul ryan budget which you voted for.

you said it was an imperfect plan. are there a lot of parts that you would like to revise or undo or eliminate? >> there is no perfect bill that comes out of washington. what we need to do is make sure that we judge the quality pieces of that legislation versus those that you may not be as favorable on. and in this case, we have to, as americans, we have to look at balancing our budget. this is the only budget that was ever offered that balances in 10 years. i think that is a very great goal. >> you said it was a perfect so you must have a few ideas about it that need to be eliminated.

>> i do. when it comes to addressing telegrams, dressing other programs that are related -- addressing pell grants, and addressing other programs that are related, we need to prioritize how we spend money. that is exactly what you need a vision. that is exactly what this rhyme budget did. it gave america a vision that we will have a balanced budget in 10 years. it also gave us the opportunity to make the senate actually have to fulfill their constitutional duty and pass their own budget. i proudly supported one of the first of those i made in washington, no vote/no pay. but you know what, typically, their budget never balances. it increases spending at a time when we have been working at a dutch in a bipartisan fashion to reduce our deficit for the first time since world war ii. it is a travesty we cannot continue to work together to cut spending in areas that need to be cut and increase it in areas that need to be increased and do it through the constitutional preparations process, which is the way washington used to spend money. the washington want. >> -- that washington won't. >> food stamps, welfare, according to the center of

budget and policy priorities, the average recipient received 133 dollars a month last year, which is about $1.48 a meal. food stamps is one example. it is meant for people who are certainly to make ends meet. the poverty line for a family of four is to refer thousand dollars a year based on measures from the 1950's. first, who is most at risk or falling through the cracks? >> thank you very much for your question. i actually make sure i was part of that debate in the farm bill. we actually put together some very commonsense provisions that ensured that we saved taxpayers $8 billion. there is a loophole that some states where using that gave food stamp benefits to anyone who qualified for one dollar a

feeding assistance. we did not take away that program. we raised the barometer to $20. it saved taxpayers $8 billion in the program. that is a billion dollars we can put to make sure those who need the benefits the most are going to get them. i also believe that we ought to implement some type of work requirement that was commonplace under the clinton era welfare to work program that has been changed during this administration. for the life of me, i cannot understand why america should be satisfied with a program that doesn't require an able-bodied adult who has no dependent children, who is not enrolled in training or education program, who doesn't take care of an adult dependent, who doesn't have a plethora of other exemptions, i don't know why we can't pair them with a job. if a job is not available, why can't we fed them with community service or volunteer opportunities that will give them skills that will give them the best benefit their families can have. >> talking to people in these community centers, i think it is

not the right approach to demand someone that they have to have a job when you don't know what that person is going through in their own lives with whatever, domestic abuse, drug and alcohol abuse. i think it is a presumptuous way to govern. if you listen to mr. davis, they were burning the midnight oil passing bill after bill after bill. this is the most nonproductive congress we have had since the history of congress. so i think it is a holistic approach. we need to -- first of all, we should not let, as congressman davis's congress did, extend long-term benefits. a dyed in the house because everyone went on vacation. 185,000 veterans were left out in the cold because they did not have the long-term unemployment benefit.

so what can we do? i think strengthen pell grants for incense, so these people can go to school. people on minimum wage can go to school and be able to better themselves, get a better job. it would not be the rhyme budget way where the needs analysis testing was restricted. i think this is a philosophy that i would have as a congressperson. you are on the ground and you're listening. what can you do at these community centers? when i have gone there, there are things that are going on with these urban league, like man can come up where people come out from prison or probation and to sam to get into the employment universe. i have been a statewide leader on justice and mental health and restorative justice issues. not only veterans corps but a true believer in drug core and mental health corps where people

can become productive citizens by going through these programs. i can see how i can travel throughout our district to meet county and see what they have going on what they don't and really be our bridge to the justice system which i think would still a true groep to the people in this district. >> what will you do to help improve new fuel energies in illinois and the u.s.? >> i was pleased to see that illinois is number one a renewable energy sources. we have great opportunities here with our nine colleges and universities, especially here at the university of illinois with the wonderful innovators here. so what can we do to expand on this and grow great jobs right here? draw out our innovators. join them with our local businesses. so our students graduate from this wonderful university and want to raise their children in these wonderful world-class communities.

so how we can advance them forward. i saw that decatur had a chance to get the juno type lab. -- the genome lab. i would continue to work, build coalitions, get things done. >> i appreciate those comments and that is exactly what i have been trying to do, build coalitions to make sure we actually make our next mission to the moon, to make america energy independent. when you look at energy independence, we have the ability to grow our economy by doing something as simple as building the keystone pipeline. the president, his administration has ever studied this permit more so than any other project in our nations history and even members of organized labor say it will

create 45,000 new jobs. that oil is coming from canada via train and be a truck now. let's put in a pipeline. us make sure we can create american jobs. that is the first step to becoming energy independent. all our homegrown energy sources, especially here in illinois -- in north dakota, the minimum wage is not set by government. it is done by the market. it is $18 an hour. they decided to make north dakota energy independent. they are reaping the benefits of february low unemployment rate. they are be -- they are reaping the benefits of a growing economy. we are sitting in allawi -- in illinois with the worst job growth numbers in 18 months. >> moving to education. recent estimates show the tuition continues to get more expensive while total stallone

that has grown to more than a billion dollars for the first time. education is next. >> two years ago in a debate in the studio, you said that you would increase access to pell and you would not have supported the rhyme budget that would slash funding to pell grants. yet you did. what changed? >> nothing changed. frankly, that it was a -- that was a ryan budget that was done before i was elected. that was a much different budget from the one that i supported the balances in 10 years. look at the rhine-murray bipartisan appropriations package that i supported with increased pell grants. it's not just about putting a vision in place. only washington, d.c. -- only in

washington dc can a zero growth be considered a cut. if we can get away from that process, you will not have things like across the board cuts and sequestration. he will let a rank-and-file member of congress who is a freshman to have a say in spending and make sure the college is affordable. i am proud that i actually voted to stop the student loan interest rates from doubling in june and july of 2013. this is something that should never have happened because, at that time, that is something that should never have happened because, at that time, congress was in the business of setting student loan rates. congress should not be in the business of setting student loan rates.

sam is should be able to take advantage of student loan rates that are at historical lows. we have to change the debate for how much a student will pay for our -- for ever-increasing debt at the end of college education and what interest rate it going to be because we stopped them from doubling. and we need to do what i have been doing is a member of college -- of congress. when i go to college campuses, i talk to those who are in charge about -- when they ask me to raise the pell again, i say what are you doing to make sure those pell grants go further for our students and that students have the ability to work on the university if they want to to help pay their college so they don't have that debt when they leave college? that is the type of leadership i have been exhibiting on this issue and in this district and that is exactly what i intend to

continue to do in my next term. >> would you support an increase to pell grant funding? ? and how would you pay for it >> -- and how would you pay for it? >> absolutely, we need to increase pell grant funding. there is a bill out there called the government waste reduction act. it will go after and see where we can cut, see where we can/, see where we can save dollars international economy. mr. davis, you set in the studio and said you would not vote for a ryan budget to cut pell grants and then you voted for a ryan budget that cut pell grants. another urban we have that can bring in billions of dollars is the heat program that goes after medicare, fraud, waste and abuse and medicaid fraud waste and abuse. i think it is seven united states cities and it is a u.s. attorney-driven program. it is those types of programs that, talking to students, they do rely on pell grants. i talked to one woman whose husband and partner was deployed

here and she was struggling and going to school so pell grants were very important to her. and that was at the campus of southern university -- southern illinois university at edwardsville. it is the next bubble. that trillion dollar student debt. how do we address that? i think people who graduated and have this student debt should be able to renegotiate their student loans at the current rate. you should not do with the ryan budget does and that is charging students interest on their loans while they are still in school. >> earlier this year, congress cut off funding a comprehensive transportation bill until next year. >> would you support an increase in the gas tax, 18.4% per gallon federal gasoline tax for bridge and highway repairs and other transportation items given what jennifer has laid out? >> no, i don't.

it would overly burden are middle-class and working families. it kicked the can down the road which causes a lot of uncertainty for our labor, whether they will have any infrastructure project are not. i have heard this from a lot of our labor unions. again, i would be against a gas tax. >> use it on the transportation committee. what do you think? >> before i get to that, let me just what my opponent has said. let me be clear. the ryan budget i voted for did not cut tell grants. -- pell grants. the only issue on pell grants that i have raised is raising pell grants. i will continue to make sure that we put college

affordability first because i've got a daughter who is going to be going to college next year. i know that many families are facing costs that they did not imagine would be that high when they took their child to kindergarten for the first day and dreamt that they would be able to get that college education. we need to work to reduce the cost of attending college, make sure the state lives up to its promise. transportation. during my endorsement from the chicago tribune, i was called an infrastructure wallop. i was one of the few republicans who actually stood and said we need to invest more in infrastructure. how do we do that? do we do it by sibley raising the gas tax? even -- do we do it by simply raising the gas tax? it is agreed it will go down and dwindle and put us in the same position we are in today with an ever decreasing amount of money that we can dedicate toward

infrastructure spending? that is not the best idea. what we need to do and what i have been talking about is putting together a portfolio funding sources. us look at energy independence. let's build the keystone pipeline can mistake revenues from making america energy independent and put it towards our crumbling infrastructure. it is exactly what we did on the water for structure bill that i was proud to cosponsor and pass. that is exactly the type of bipartisan leadership i will continue to exhibit when it comes to our highways and our bridges. i want to make sure we have that debate. as a matter fact, i drove an electric vehicle here in the champagne area because it was a trade with my colleague janice hahn who talks about having an electric vehicle and never putting one penny towards the highway trust fund. it was a great example of bipartisan -- a bipartisan example when we talk about the

different transportation needs in her region, which is downtown los angeles, and my region which is 14 counties. in the electric car, i could make it home to taylorville. these are issues we need to address. >> locally, there is a lot of talk about high-speed rail in central illinois, especially through champaign-urbana. how can an expensive project [indiscernible] >> it is being financed and it is becoming a reality in the chicago-sailors corridor. -- chicago-st. louis corridor. we have seen the improvements. what we need to do is make sure that we put the policies in place. we need to make sure we get that good portfolio of sources. >> i guess what i am talking about is the one through champaign urbana would operate to 20. is that really possible, the

cost of that? >> i don't like to say anything is impossible when it comes to infrastructure, tom. we have to make sure that we put our good possibly as -- good policies in place and make sure that america's able to afford that infrastructure so that champaign can be the beneficiary of a high-speed rail corridor. i am happy to work with all of the officials who have come to me and talk to me about this project. we will continue to make sure that we put infrastructure first. that is exactly why i requested that seat on the infrastructure committee. it is why i want to remain on the committee. >> do you think that is a doable project? >> i wouldn't absolutely say no. my role as your congresswoman if

i am honored to be elected is what kind of infrastructure projects are feasible and what we can do to improve our communities here. mr. davis said he was in leadership on transportation in the sea -- in d.c. why was the can kicked down the road? i'm sure it is fun driving around in an electric car, but i don't know how it helps the people of this district. we need to get back to serving the people that we were honored to be elected by instead of serving ourselves. so it's an entire philosophy change that needs to be done here. >> we are getting down to the last couple of minutes. tom, you had a question you wanted to ask about military gear to local police departments. >> demilitarization of local police, we reported that a

federal program sold several rifles and gear. is that something the federal government should do? >> it probably sounded like a good idea at the beginning because it was excess military gear. but seeing the visual on tv, what happened in ferguson with these tanks and these police officers dressed in absolute military gear and armed with assault weapons was -- with demonstrate is on the other side should not happen. so there should be some transparency and oversight. i can't tell you my son is an expert on m-four assault weapons. that takes a lot of training. it concerns me that police officers would not have the training to handle these types of weapons. so, yeah, i think this should be looked at and see what you can do with this type of program. >> commerce and? >> i think some of our police officers are some of the most well-trained individuals we have. but i am also concerned about amber apps, about the visual that we sign ferguson, missouri. and that is why this program

needs to be looked at by members of congress. we need to ensure that it is going to provide the equipment that will be beneficial to our communities. >> would you prefer that it be shut down? >> no, that is exactly what i am getting at. you can throw the baby out with the bathwater. the same program has gave in -- has given to a county a humvee. that takes deputies that when it is snowing and pulls drivers out of the ditch. this is good military equipment and we have to be diligent in making sure that we don't get rid of those opportunities. we have to make sure that we address the visuals that we sign ferguson with the mrap and make sure that those driving through dewitt county have an opportunity to get served. >> you had a question about climate change. >> do you believe that climate change is real and man-made? and what can the federal government do to reduce the effects? >> i have been clear. climate change is real.

we can discuss, the chip -- we can discuss how much of it is real and how much of it is man-made. we can lead the world in emissions reductions. but at the same time, not sacrificing growth and jobs in our economy. >> climate change, absolutely exists. man-made climate change exists. and all we have to do is look out our window on sundays and absolutely have -- on some days and absolutely have first knowledge that it exists. i think in emissions restrictions should be a place but not at the expense of jobs. it is not a black or white issue but it is a fine balance in but -- balance. but we continue -- we have a great opportunity here with our nine colleges and universities to really go to explore the alternative energy and renewable energy sources and really be a leader in our nation in this district with renewable energy sources. >> i have to ask this. if you had a song that played --

[laughter] when you walk in, what would it be? >> what would your theme song be? >> katy perry's "roar." >> what's your theme song? >> let's say create "higher." [laughter] >> i love that song. >> thank you to the candidates and their candidate campaign organizations. i am jennifer roscoe. good night. [applause] >> c-span's campaign 24 -- 314

coverage, more than 100 debates .for the control of congress. c-span bring you 117 debates. the battle for control of congress. stay in touch and engage. follow us on twitter at c-span and like us at facebook.com/c-span. >> we want to show you video from the launch facility in virginia on the atlantic ocean where a rocket asked loaded an hour ago.

that is the unmanned an tars rocket exploding seconds after liftoff from a commercial launch pad on wallops island shown on nasa tv. space agency officials said there were no injuries. the 14-story rocket reuters says built and launched by orbital sciences blasted off the seaside launch pad. at the wallops facility. at 6:22 eastern carrying a singus cargo ship for the international space station. it exploded in a huge fireball as saw. some comments from members of congress nearby, andy harris of maryland whose district is nearby tweeted that a few of my staff were at nassau wallops observing the launch. thankfully no one on the ground appears to be injured. virginia senator tim kaine saying my thoughts are with everyone at nasa, wallops and orbital sciences who worked so hard on this launch and relieved to hear no injuries