arthritis, she has -- when she goes to the doctor, the doctor tells her, i could give you this drug that costs, like, $40,000 or $50,000 a year but the problem is her insurance doesn't cover it, she couldn't afford a plan that would cover it and to pay that out of pocket is more than a so i would ask you, what sort of actions can we take to ensure that people like my mother -- there are probably thousands or millions of people like that -- can afford drugs that they would need to make their lives better? ms. burwell: i think there are a number of steps that are important to take. i think that particular step is a provision that is applied when things meet that standard. i think there are some other very important tools -- announcer: we are leaving the last few minutes of this discussion to bring you a debate for the open u.s. senate seat in maryland. democrat chris van hollen and republican kathy szeliga are

running for the seat currently held by democrat barbara mikulski. mikulski. they debated earlier today. this comes from the university of baltimore courtesy of wjz-tv. moderator: questions will be posed by our panel. director of the schaeffer center for public policy her the university of baltimore, and myself of wjz-tv. the recipient of the opening statement was determined by coin toss. the moderator can repeat the questions for the candidate is needed. candidates cannot interrupt one another. i appreciate you allowing me to be here today. if you would mind leaving the stage at this point so we can continue -- candidate oni'm a

the ballot, i have a state rights campaign. i would like to know why i'm not here to read -- here. [no audio]

>> some problems with the feet of the maryland senate debate from baltimore. we expect to bring that event usually here on c-span. -- to you shortly here on c-span. [no audio] -- his nominee on her many misgivings. calling americans a basket of

deplorables -- her e-mail scandal, the clinton foundation. i would like to know if he would like her to close the clinton foundation. she has said it is ok to have different positions in private than you have in public. if you are looking for a u.s. senator that is going to be an independent voice that will call fouls and strikes on both sides of the aisle, then you want to vote for me, kathy szeliga as your next u.s. senator. mr. van hollen: secretary clinton is one of the most prepared, qualified candidates. can donald trump, we have one of the least qualified people. i have not agreed with secretary clinton on everything. i opposed her decision to support the war in iraq. i opposed her decision on e-mails. where she makes mistakes, she has apologized to the country. donald trump has run a campaign trying to pit americans against one another based on race,

religion, ethnicity, and gender. heis clear from the things has said about gold star family's in our military that he is unfit to be our commander-in-chief. he does not know how to apologize when he makes itrageous comments, and would be dangerous for us to have them as commander-in-chief. kathy szeliga has endorsed donald trump. when macy's department store decided to discontinue a product line of trump clothing because of his outrageous statements calling mexican-american immigrants rapist, delegate szeliga did not call on donald trump to stop insulting people. she went after macy's and publicly cut up her macy's credit card. i think we need to stand up to the outrages, divisive rhetoric of donald trump, and i'm proud to support hillary clinton. i think donald trump would be a disaster for the country. ms. szeliga: i would like to rebut. there you go again, congressman van hollen. i knew you would bring up the macy's card.

i was not a donald trump supporter when that happened, but i will tell you what i do support -- his first amendment rights to say what he wants. that is a treasured and coveted right of american citizens. i was not supporting him. i was a scott walker supporter and a carly fiorina supporter. , butht not agree with you i'm going to tell you that i will stand up for your first amendment right to say what you want every day of the week. mr. van hollen: i would like to respond to that. moderator: the format does not allow for rebuttal against that. mr. van hollen: i will raise it later. moderator: our next question comes from andy. >> the affordable care act has been much in the news the next week with reports of soaring premiums in the individual market. what changes, if any, would you make? mr. van hollen: i think we do need to make revisions and modifications, especially as it relates to the exchanges. it would be a big mistake to throw out the entire affordable

care act rather than try and fix that -- fix it. it has a lot of families to keep their kids on their insurance policies until they are 26 years old. it closed the prescription drug doughnut hole that meant that seniors with high prescription drug costs were going to go bankrupt before paying for what they needed. we also should remember that the overwhelming majority of americans get their health care through their private insurer, and if you look at the increase in premiums in the private insurance market, those premiums have gone down compared to before the affordable care act. with respect to the exchanges, these are primarily people who had been denied any health insurance before the affordable care act because of pre-existing conditions like asthma or diabetes. we do need to reduce the premiums and co-pays, and that is why i have supported -- from the beginning -- a public option to create more competition and choice within the system and help drive down the prices. fix it, yes.

throw it out, no. ms. szeliga: thank you. this is a clear difference between my opponent and myself. the affordable care act has turned out to be anything but affordable. ournow that next week, families are going to receive their statements with their new premiums. we know they are going up double digits. we also know that the maryland health exchange has just two providers in our rural area. one of them is evergreen, and we know from reading your paper, "the baltimore sun," that evergreen is on thin ice and may not be able to survive. most of the co-ops have not survived. if that is to happen, our rural citizens will have only one provider in their exchange. we know what bill clinton said about the affordable care act, and i am agreeing with bill clinton. he said, this is crazy. people are working 60 hours a week and they can't afford their health insurance. premiums have doubled, and other

out-of-pocket expenses have doubled. it is not affordable, and i would not support a public option. the government has created this health exchange that does not work, so now we are going to let them have our health care as well? i think this is a problem that needs to be solved. -- some oft keeping the provisions, including pre-existing conditions, allowing our kids to stay on health care plans -- these are reasonable and rational. but we need some free market things put in the health exchange and we need for -- we need drug reform. moderator: we move on -- mr. van hollen: i would like a rebuttal, please. that there is no doubt exchanges are seeing premium increases. we do need to encourage more young people, we need to encourage more options like the public option within those exchanges. it would be a big mistake for the over 20 million americans

who have access to more affordable health care if you were able to get rid of it entirely. we have reduced our uninsured rate in united states to the store closed. those are good things -- to historic lows. those are good things. donald trump attack the affordable care act in a press conference yesterday. he said all my employees are facing outrageous premiums -- guess what? his employees are not even in the health care exchanges. that is the part of it that needs to have more competition. delegate szeliga is making the same mistake in conflating the exchange issue, which needs to be fixed, with the rest of the insurance market, where premiums have risen at lower rates than before. moderator: moving on to our next question, to ms. szeliga. the economic recovery from the great recession has been slow and uneven with gains going disproportionately to upper income households.

what should congress do to improve the economic prospects of the middle class and working poor? ms. szeliga: a great question. as i have traveled across the state of maryland, i can tell you people are suffering. they know our economy has been growing at less than 2% for many years. paychecksss families have not grown, while their expenses have increased. i'm a small business owner. my husband and i started a small company, and we're still in business today. i will tell you what businesses need our job creators. they need the government to stop overregulation of business. under this current administration, more than $743 billion worth of regulations have been passed. that hurts small businesses, who then cannot hire or give their employees raises. the tax code is untenable. my opponent has been in congress for 14 years. over that period of time, the tax code has gotten more complex.

i think we learned eight years ago that warren buffett played -- paid less taxes than the secretary, yet he has done nothing to fix that problem. we need a simplified tax code and we need to help small business get back in the business of hiring people. >> we definitely need to accelerate job growth in the economy, but lets her member that when president obama was first sworn in, the economy was falling through the floor. we have had 15 million jobs created since we came out of that hole. we need to invest in things like the port of baltimore. the federal government helps with the dredging of that poor to make sure it is vibrant. we need to work together, local government, state, and federal governments to make sure the incentives are right. at the federal level, we need to reform the tax code and get rid of the provisions that encourage

businesses to move jobs overseas , and instead, invest here in united states. i have pushed for getting exactly that thing done, just like i was one of the chief sponsors of legislation to get rid of the shared interest provision. we got it out of the house, but republicans blocked in the senate. we need people who support and fight for those ideas. we also need to make sure every child has a good start with education. that means focusing on early education. it means good k-12 for every child and every neighborhood. it means strengthening community and four-year colleges and building better pipelines between those skill building opportunities and the employers. here in maryland, we are focused on a lot of those opportunities. we need to build on them. ms. szeliga: i would like to rebut. governor hogan just announced this week that he is going to get that howard street tunnel text. how great is that? i am proud to be endorsed by governor hogan, and i want to be

a partner with him in washington, because support is a vital part of our economy and a huge job creator in maryland in baltimore. i want to work on workforce development issues. thatve an education system is not preparing our students for the workforce of tomorrow. jobsve jobs -- 3 million that are unfilled in this country. we do need doctors and lawyers -- please, no more attorneys -- and accountants, but we also need welders, carpenters, truck drivers. we need to make sure we have opportunities for students across the board. moderator: thank you very much. the next question goes to mr. van hollen first. >> do you believe free trade agreements like nafta and the transpacific partnership are good for america? mr. van hollen: i do not believe the tpp is good for america.

i think we need to look at every trade agreement on its own merits and ask ourselves the question, is it good for our economy, our workers, our workers' wages? in my view, the tpp fails that test. that does not mean we should not support exports. we are in export nation. the reality is, lots of maryland jobs are tied to international trade, so what we need our agreements that actually encourage american exports, not flood our market with cheap imports. i do not support the tpp. i would point out that, with respect to the howard tunnel, unless the governor is planning on footing the bill himself, which he does not say he is -- he is going to need a fast lane federal grant, which is what we are pushing for. we are glad governor hogan is supporting this, now let's work together to make sure we get federal funding to go with it. that is also important economic growth. -- making sure

that we have institutions, community colleges, that can provide those skills, is essential. i am proud to have been endorsed by the iron workers, machine metalworkers, and everybody who wants fair trade and a fair shake in united states of america. bethlehem steel closed and left behind 10,000 good paying jobs. we need to make sure we have investment, trade in the atlantic, that we need to make sure they bring back good paying jobs. we can work together to do that. moderator: thank you. believe in free trade and fair trade that protects america and american jobs first. we do need a workforce revitalization. you know what, you can't export your plumbers to china, and you can't export your attrition -- your electrician to china. these are great jobs available youth. -- our

you just heard congressman van hollen talk about these programs and community colleges. i would like to see these programs back in our high schools. when i went to severna park high school, i dated a boy in the electrical program. severna park was a community high school then, just as it is today. that program does not exist in that high school any longer. we have to ask ourselves, where have these programs gone, where have these opportunities gone for our young men and women, that they could be an electrician in high school? instead of going to community college, where it will cost them money and time? i believe this is how we are going to change our country. let's look at the workforce development. commercial truck drivers -- there is a shortage of them today. what is the answer to that? politicians in washington put more and more regulations on our truck drivers so they can't actually increase their business

and bring more people into that trade. i will support free trade, fair trade, and american jobs. moderator: thank you. any rebuttal? mr. van hollen: yes. first of all, i support the idea of having more skills building in high school as an option. in fact, you are seeing lots more high schools in maryland bring that back. it is also important that we encourage community colleges and apprenticeship programs. you talked about electricians. i am proud to have been endorsed by the international brotherhood of electrical workers. people who are out there installing electrical equipment in homes and businesses every day because of the work we have done to support their friendship program and make sure they get -- support their apprenticeship program and make sure they get a decent wage. we do need better coordination between our k-12 system, community college system, and for your college system, but we need to remember it begins with early education, a solid

k-12 education, and beyond. we also need to build partnerships between community colleges and jobs. i was pleased to get a grant from the federal government to do that in cyber security. moderator: our next question comes from andy greene, first to ms. szeliga. >> what can congress do to address college affordability and increasing levels of debt that many young people face? ms. szeliga: that is a great question. college affordability is on everyone's mind. as i look back, i'm very proud -- we have two grown sons, and they both are married, both graduated from college. that was just a little over 10 years ago that they started college, and tuition has doubled -- doubled -- since they started. we have a lot of people talking

about how we are going to free we have a lot of people talking about how we are going to free up cheaper money for our college students, but we don't have a lot of people talking about accountability and higher education. why is it that these educations or twice what they have been, while our economy has stagnated and family wages have not increased? i think we need to find a way to deliver these educations in a more economical fashion. look at your cell phones. look what you can do from your cell phone today. i was a nontraditional student. i graduated from towson university when i was 32 years old, so i know how tough it is for nontraditional students to go to school. couldwith technology, i have done a lot of that right for my kitchen table, which would have been more economical and affordable. what i would like to see is also addressed that, as well as what i said previously -- let's put these trade jobs back in high school, so our kids are able to receive training in high school instead of community college level. i also have supported a bill in annapolis that would allow students to put their student loan debt into their home mortgages. moderator: thank you.

mr. van hollen. mr. van hollen: this is a big challenge in our country. students are graduating with big debts and starting out from behind. we have made some progress. i'm pleased to have led a successful fight in congress to get the big banks out of the student loan business. they had been pocketing billions of dollars in taxpayer money that should have been going to students, so we got them out. then we got them out entirely with respect to student loans, and that has helped address some of the issues. there is no doubt that you have number one, students who have graduated with huge debts. i have proposed legislation to allow them to refinance at lower levels. with respect to her students were currently in college, i support the proposal put forward by secretary clinton and bernie sanders to address that issue. it is an innovative approach. when this issue came up in the maryland legislature, delegate szeliga actually voted against the college affordability legislation.

just last session, governor hogan let it go into law, but she opposed it. that would have provided more opportunities for kids to go to college without coming out with these huge, overhanging debts. that was an opportunity in the maryland legislature. i'm sorry delegate szeliga did not support it. we are going to continue to fight to make sure we addressed the issues and enact legislation like that going forward, by hillary clinton and bernie sanders. ms. szeliga: i would like to rebut. i think we have an education system that is broken today. we have people telling our students there only happy future is a four-year college degree. they go off to college and a mass tens of thousands of dollars worth of student loans. they come home, and they are prepared to live in your basement, because they have not been trained with a skill that will actually get them a job. we need universities to do a better job making sure our

students are not getting out of school with these huge, massive loans. it all goes back to saying, what about these other great opportunities? ,pportunities in the trades first responders, law enforcement, military -- there are plenty of options for our kids. it is just a shame that the only thing they hear over and over again is that you have got to go to a four-year college. again, i put myself through college, i think it is very important, but it is not the only answer for our students and workforce of the next generation. moderator: next question, first to mr. van hollen. the nation is experiencing a wave of overdose deaths from opioids. what policies should the federal government pursued to address this? mr. van hollen: you are absolutely right. this is an epidemic in maryland and around the country. overall, our approach should be

to switch from what has been an entirely criminal justice approach to a health care model. because the result has been that we have our jails filled with people who committed nonviolent substance abuse offenses. which is why i have been pushing in this direction long before this important national conversation began. at the federal level, there is legislation to do exactly that -- to say that with respect to nonviolent offenders, we are going to look for other alternatives, and to make sure that for those who have been in , that and are coming out we provide them with a second chance so they don't start out behind where they are trying to get back into the workforce. we need to attack this on all levels, and think our whole framework needs to change. we need to make sure the resources are available at the federal level for health clinics in all of our neighborhoods. on a bipartisan basis, the house passed legislation dealing with

substance abuse, but has not provided additional resources that would meet the challenges of that legislation. this needs to be a priority, but we should change our focus and focus on the health aspects, the addiction aspects, and not treat this as a criminal justice matter. ms. szeliga: thank you so much. the heroin epidemic is a scorch across our state and nation. i doubt there is any one of you in this room were the listening audience that could not talk about a personal connection you have and you know with someone whose life has been changed, altered, or even ended by this crouge ofscorch -- so heroin addiction. i am proud to have worked in the last legislative session to bring some change to harper county. he is doing a great job working with this on a local level, partnering with hospitals to really know how many overdoses and god for bid debts we have

and where are they. i will tell you what i have learned about heroin addiction after working for the sheriff -- this is an issue that needs to be looked at for the local level. it looks differently in all of our communities. some of the strategies we are employing and harper county would not work in baltimore city. some of the strategies that baltimore city uses would not work in hartford county. ourlieve we need to empower local health departments, local law enforcement, local recovery centers, and parents and families to really deal with this issue at its core. i also support the justice reinvestment, where we are taking -- we should not be locking people up who are doing petty crimes because of their addiction. that is certainly no way for us to solve the heroin crisis. moderator: thank you ray much. any rebuttal? mr. van hollen: with respect to that last comment, the maryland

legislature looked at this issue with respect to marijuana as a substance and decided to decriminalize it, to make it a civil offense. delegate szeliga voted against that. she wanted to maintain its criminal penalty and actually expand the scope of criminal penalties for marijuana. i think that is the wrong way to go. i don't think we should be locking people up for substance abuse. i think we should be trying to find treatment and addressing the issue at its core. ms. szeliga: may i rebut that? moderator: we do not allow that. the next question goes to you first. >> would you support direct american military intervention in the civil war? ms. szeliga: the marijuana issue, i cannot let go. i'm sorry, but this is a free debate. yes, i did oppose that, because that would allow people to smoke pot on the boardwalk in ocean city. that is what our debate was about. it is illegal to walk down the boardwalk in ocean city with an open container of alcohol, and

it should also be illegal for you to smoke pot on the boardwalk. that is what that debate was about. want to allow people to do that, i am sorry, it is a family resort, and i will support ocean city every day of the week. now, regarding syria and the middle east. at thisnot support current time putting our military men and women on the ground. i don't think we have a career mission -- clear mission. i have been able to meet with national security experts, and they have said to me, kathy, what is our mission? you know what we are doing in the middle east? my answer was no, it is not clear. if you don't have a clear mission with a clear objective, i'm a proud daughter of a 20 year career army veteran -- my dad served two tours in brea -- two tories in korea and one in vietnam, though i know firsthand the family struggles.

i would never take lightly the lives of men and women who serve our military by putting them in harms way, without a clear direction and leadership from the commander-in-chief. mr. van hollen: first, let me just say -- with all respect, delegate szeliga, you are mistaken. what i said was it would be a civil penalty to smoke marijuana. mr. van hollen: look, when it comes to the decision of putting our men and women in harm's way, the most solemn decision that congress or the american people can make. my view is that we should only do that when our national security interests are at stake. i opposed the war in iraq. we have seen the awful fallout from that war. i believe that putting american ground combat troops in syria

would be a huge mistake and make matters worse. i do support the ongoing efforts to go after isis. we have to eliminate and defeat isis. we do that by supporting the iraqi military and the forces and a rock and area. -- in iraq and syria. we need to do that because we strangle and eliminate isis. this is a serious issue. my view, putting american ground combat forces in syria would not accomplish our goal. it would make things worse and drag us into another iraq. ms. szeliga: in a previous for an i have had with congressman -- iowland -- in holland would say we are not. i am worried about the future.

reasons i amthe running. i have a granddaughter named avery, 20 months old. i am worried about her future. our country is not safer today than it was. i know that we need people in will value our military and know that their primary job is to keep america and americans safe. moderator: thank you. next question from andy greene goes to mr. van hollen. play?ole should the epa mr. van hollen: it is obviously a global problem but also a local problem. to highlight the point, we had a inring a while back annapolis. we had the superintendent of the naval academy testify to the challenge and the threat that climate change poses locally but

also pointed to flooding at the it isat annapolis and how having a global impact. it is costing us. it is contributing to weather events. need to address this. i put forward legislation that has supported the environmental community. that would do that by putting a it woulde amount of -- also return the proceeds hundred percent back to american households so that over 80% of households and up with more money in their pockets at the end of the day there before. also the issue when competitors are not playing by the same rules. so, it is a good proposal.

it also brings with it not -- a lot of job opportunities to invest in clean energy. maryland is beginning to do that. thank you.: if you like the rain tax, you will like congressman ben hollins climate change tax. 9% of theax on watershed. we know the watershed goes from new york to virginia. stateere required by the to charge a tax. to clean up the day that 81 -- 91% of the rest of the watershed was contributing to, not dealing with -- and the pollution coming from pennsylvania. that is exactly what this will be. it will be a tax on your utility bill.

i know that we have to look at climate change. we must look at the science. i am not a scientist, but i know we have to look fried rice. i will protect americans and american jobs. environment, our but we will not ask america and americans to do the work for the entire globe. it needs to be a fair playing field. those are going to be shipped to china where they will burn at coal plants. do not have the same environmental conditions and sanders that we had in america. say thatollen: let me with respect to the chesapeake bay, i am pleased to be the cosponsor of the chesapeake bay caucus. one of the things we have had to

fight his efforts from a majority of the republicans in the house of representatives to let pennsylvania off the hook when it comes to enforcement of the chesapeake bay agreement. we would welcome reinforcement on that issue. unfortunately, the senate has blocked that effort. i did not hear any proposal to actually address climate change. this is a serious issue. it also is a huge economic opportunity for us. as i indicated, the legislation i propose would put a terrorist ariff. --t next question goes to mischievously -- ms. szeliga. millions inffected corporations and institutions.

what can federal government due to improved several security? ms. szeliga: it needs to be a priority. i am proud. my website was deemed one of the safest in the region. there is a convention going on the nbcally and affiliate and washington dc came out and interviewed as because a. website got an workid they were going to -- when i hired a company to handle my website and handle my information on the web, that was one of the priorities i looked at. what kind of security were you going to offer? because i am asking volunteers to share their information and donate to me. i was to make sure that information is safe. our central government has a serious problem.

they were hacked. thousands of federal employee personal information was put at risk. told me this is a problem. i do not think the federal government has done anything to fix it. this situation has not gotten better. it has only gotten worse. mr. van hollen: clearly, hacking is a big challenge and problem in our country. in the public sector and the private sector, sony and major financial institutions spend a lot of resources trying to protect themselves and have been hacked. we need to up our game in terms of protecting these systems. we have a great opportunity to address that challenge it also with respect to jobs. we are the home of the u.s. cyber command. if you go there, there is a huge, new investment in efforts

to deal with cyber security and cyber warfare. we need to find ways compatible with protecting privacy rights, to make sure there is more shared cap -- information before -- between the public sector and private sector. it is costing businesses and costing families. togetherased to put and when a federal grant for maryland community colleges. if you million dollars to train maryland community college students in the skills of cyber security and cyber to allergy. those students are now better prepared to get jobs at places like fort meade and the u.s. cyber command. makeed to elevate that to full command -- a full command. moderator: any rebuttal russian mark --?

ms. szeliga: -- race may determine whether maryland builds its first -- should voters be concerned? women, men,en: people of all backgrounds, i hear them saying they want someone who has been brought -- fighting for their values and priorities and winning battles. that is what i have been doing my entire time in public office. i was proud to work for senator mikulski. women who have been discriminated against had their day in court. i am a proud supporter of senator mikulski paycheck fairness act. trying to get that through. i respect the woman's right to choose and the right to reach -- reproductive freedom. when you look at the organizations looking at women's

economic empowerment and their ability to the right to choose, i am proud to have their endorsement. i have been endorsed by the national organization for women. senator mikulski, i assure you, would not endorse me if she did not think i would continue that site. supporting the most unqualified person for president. i am supporting the most qualified person, who also happens to be a woman who i hope will become the first woman president of the united states. when menga: women love man slain things to us. arell say that women multifaceted voters. andring such a value diversity to the table in making

laws. -- 15day for the last 75 years -- it -- awards said what shame it would be of maryland delegation to not have a woman representing them. it has been since 1970 three cents maryland has probably had a women represent them in washington dc. i was a little girl. my mom had a beehive hairdo and her choices in employment were a nurse or teacher. my mom is a proud teacher. income far we have come. -- think how far we have come. women can be anything. what a shame it would be if maryland did not have a woman representing them in washington. if the democrats are successful,

we will not. that will be a sad day for maryland. i am notollen: suggesting any women's groups who they should endorse to fight for issues important to women and families and to all of us. i can assure you that you cannot --tate to the organizational or to the women's chamber of commerce. they look at our records. they say the person who is out there fighting for those issues is me. -- inot the one who led supported marriage of quality. you did not. there are lots of issues out there that are important to women and families and men. i am proud to have the support of those groups. i think it is important when you presidentdidate for

who is most qualified in our history, who happens to be a --an, that you would governor hogan put country over party. moderator: next question from andy greene. >> how serious and pressing a problem is the national debt, what is driving its increased and what would you do to address it? debtzeliga: the national is astounding. it is truly one of the reasons i am running for u.s. senate. we know it is almost $20 trillion. what does that mean? like $20 trillion, i cannot imagine what that would be. what that means is everyone of you and your children and grandchildren already owes the federal government over $59,000.

is not an inheritance and willing to turn over to my granddaughter. we need people in washington to admit there is a problem. my opponent opposes the balanced budget. i think washington needs a 12 step program on a lot of things. with spending. you cannot spend more than you make year after year. your family would be bankrupt and so with your business. for some reason, washington feels like they can spend more than they make. we need a long-term plan to solve this problem. when government talks about --s, it is interesting people need to realize that when government talks about a cut, it in your family budget. if you had $100 and you asked for $120, you would not call that a cut. you would call that an increase

area we need the government to do zero-based budgeting. yes, we need to address this now -- the national debt. a bipartisan group put together a framework bipartisan framework . i did not agree for -- with every element, but the overall and making important reforms provided a good direction for the country. now when it comes to tax breaks, our code is riddled with tax breaks that are not there for economic reasons. they are there because some powerful lobbyist got it in. i put forward proposals to eliminate a lot of that junk in the tax code as we go forward. on the spending side, we should allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices in

medicare. it is crazy that we have a where canveterans administration control this prices. yetproposals that we have -- we need to generate more economic growth. i would point out that donald trump's plan has been looked at by nonpartisan observers. deficit thetroy the times what it is today. she is supporting a candidate that would blow the national debt. i continue to criticize things on both sides of the aisle. we need people who will not go to their corner and roma at each other -- and throw mud at each other.

you can make up a group and endorse whoever you want to endorse. the national chamber of commerce has given him a 38% voting record. more than 60% of the time, he is voting against business. 6% with them.ime with many other business groups, they continue to weigh in on the deficit. it is a major driver of our economy. if we do not deal with this am eight heard of our budget will be taken up with interest on the debt alone. he does not support a balanced budget. you did not hear him say that he does. how will he fixed the problem if he does not admit we have one. moderator: there will be no rebuttal on this question. has been gridlocked for years. can you name an issue where you think there is an opportunity to work across the aisle? mr. van hollen: i can mention many. i worked with colleagues across

the aisle to enact many , even in arovisions polarized environment. forid the reauthorization no child left behind. i teamed up with republicans to pass legislation to help families with kids with disabilities. their parents were really worried about what would happen to them when the parents grew older. we established tax-free accounts for parents to save. people who blow the whistle on fraud should not be retaliated against. we should make sure they are protected. hope werward, i really can have a major infrastructure modernization plan on a bipartisan basis. we need to invest in modernizing our roads, bridges, roadways, broadband and rural areas.

that provides for good paying .obs we tackle a big national challenge, but we are also able to provide great job opportunities. i think that is an area for progress. if secretary clinton is elected president, she will make that her first order of business. i hope we can get bipartisan support on that. veterans, that is where my heart is. that is where my heart is troubled a after day. it is not a democrat issue and it is not a republican issue. it is a moral imperative that we have to serve the veterans of our country. the men and women who risked their lives for our safety and our freedom. i cannot tell you how upsetting it is when i open the paper and read about debacle after debacle going on there. i look forward to working with senators from every state in this union to reform the

veterans administration. i was inde hotline, cambridge at a veterans brought table and a man took his phone out and dialed the v.a.. he said he will not believe this, listen to the message. it was a saturday. we did not expect anyone to answer. if you have a emergency, hang up and dial 911. if you would like to reach the hotline, the number is one 800 --. that is not serving our veterans in crisis. then we have congressman van hollen who voted against the v.a. accountability will. he stood with unions and not with veterans. we have so many problems in the v.a. that needs to be solved. word that i will work tirelessly until we fix the v.a.. moderator: this will be our last

question. there will not be a rebuttal. baltimore has it -- and chris shootings during the last few years. the answer more guns in private hands or fewer? ms. szeliga: we all know there is a serious problem with gun violence in baltimore. you open the paper and read almost daily about shootings and murders. thanks goodness for maryland shock trauma that saves many lives of people shot in gun violence. i can tell you about guns. i met with the marylanders against gun violence. we meet with people who may or on not agree with you solutions. we agreed on more than what we disagreed on. what we agreed on primarily are that prosecutors and judges are

not enforcing the laws on the book. letting violent criminals back into the neighborhoods. how heartbreaking when you hear about a child shot. yet he is in our neighborhood. he has not been taking -- taken out of the neighborhood. my opponent demagogues this issue. he uses this issue to raise money. i'm sure he will cut you lots of things. i will not be able to rebut when we are done. we need people to stand up for the communities. we need to make sure our laws are being enforced and violent criminals are not terrorizing our neighborhood. mr. van hollen: we have to address the tragedy of gun violence. in maryland and around the country. when i was in the maryland

legislature, i teamed up with a model who lost her son to an accident when he went to plan and neighbors house. we worked together to make the --maryland the first state it has saved lives. we need to enforce the laws but also need to make sure that nationally that we deal with the laws that allow guns to come into maryland from august the. the bigto close loophole in the criminal background check system right now. criminalniversal background checks. we should not have people on the buying theatch list my automatic assault weapons. these are things we needed to do. a study by johns hopkins shows that what the maryland legislature did a few years ago and permitting -- requiring a permit for purchase --

person of my knowledge was raising money on this issue is delegate szeliga. i do not know how they found common ground with marylanders against gun violence. we now move to our closing statements. as a result of the coin toss, the person who will begin is mr. van hollen. mr. van hollen: thank you all for listening. when i think of senator mikulski, i think of someone who works on the hot -- that half of all marylanders. we have to make sure we work with urgency to make sure that every child from east baltimore to west baltimore gets best in life. we need an economy that works for everybody and not just people at the very top. we need to end the scandal of

mass incarceration and the scourge of gun violence. we need to protect chesapeake bay and address climate change. looking together, we can do all these things as marylanders. one of my favorite sayings is that the world needs doers. needs reamers who do. let us be dreamers and doers. you have a clear choice today. on november 8, you can vote for someone who is a career politician who has been in washington for 14 years. you have to ask yourself if gun violence is better or worse is the economy better or worse? is your family safer today than when he took office? what is the definition of insanity? if you want to change washington, you will not do it

by putting the same people back there. i am a wife, mother, grandmother, and a small this is owner. i am going to roll up my leave and go to washington and change things for you and your family to make sure the american dream is available for the next generation. please visit my website kathy for maryland.com. i ask for your vote on november 8. moderator: thank you very much. [applause] moderator: this concludes our debate for the evening. good night. >> tonight on c-span we continue

to bring you debates from across the country. first up subsequent. -- south dakota. later more debate in florida and connecticut. tomorrow, the road to the white house, donald trump makes eight campaign stop in springfield, ohio on her companion network. then first lady michelle obama will join hillary clinton at a atly in western phelan live 2:00 p.m. eastern. nasa the debate in the south dakota senate race between john soon and jay williams. moderated by jack marsh.

moderator: how would you address the budget deficit mr. thune -- tion mark sen. thune: we will be back to attorney and dollar a year deficits. it is only a matter of time afore we are going over cliff. if we do not do something about it soon, the country will be in huge trouble. tot weighs heavily on me think about our kids and grandkids. i think what you have to do is, two thirds of federal spending is mandatory spending. half to reform those programs to get them on a sustainable level if we are going to deal

with the dead. that needs to be job number one. we need the political courage and will to figure out how we will address and reform entitlement programs. second is economy -- economic growth. moderator: mr. williams? mr. williams: we need to understand how the debt got here. when republican president bush took over, he had a -- eight years later after tax cuts and two , he gave president obama a $1.4 trillion deficit. -- he cut that from attended by two thirds. that is been done with spending cuts. if we went to address the debt, it is 0%