vote for me, kathy szeliga, as your next u.s. senator. mr. van hollen: secretary clinton is one of the most prepared, qualified candidates. in 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. it is clear from the things he has said about gold star families in our military that he is unfit to be our commander-in-chief. he does not know how to apologize when he makes outrageous comments, and it would be dangerous for us to have him as commander-in-chief. delegate 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 rapists, 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 outrageous 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. i might not agree with you, but 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 it. the affordable care act has allowed 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. we know that next week, our 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. i do support keeping -- some of 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 drug reform. -- port reform -- tort reform. mr. van hollen: i would like a rebuttal, please. look, there is no doubt that the 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 historic lows. those are good things. donald trump attacked the affordable care act in a press conference yesterday. he had a big press conference, attacked the affordable care act, and then he said, all my employees are facing outrageous

premiums because of the affordable care act. 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. middle-class families' paychecks have not grown, while their expenses have increased. i'm a small business owner. 30 years ago, my husband and i started a small company, and

we're still in business today. i will tell you what businesses need are 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 paid less taxes than his 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. mr. van hollen: we definitely need to accelerate job growth in the economy, but let us remember 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 port 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. -- carried interest provision. we got it out of the house, but republicans blocked it 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 fixed. 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. we have an education system that is not preparing our students for the workforce of tomorrow. we have jobs -- 3 million jobs

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 an export nation. we have the port of baltimore. the reality is, lots of maryland jobs are tied to international trade, so what we need are

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 for economic growth. let's remember -- 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, but we need to make sure they bring back good paying jobs. we can work together to do that. moderator: thank you. ms. szeliga: i 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 electrician to china. these are great jobs available for our youth. you just heard congressman van hollen talk about these programs in 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? career 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 are out there installing electrical equipment in homes and businesses every day because of the work we have done to support their apprenticeship program and make sure they get a decent wage. all of these things are really important. we do need better coordination between our k-12 system, community college system, and four-year college system, but we need to remember it begins with a good 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 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 are 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.

today with technology, i could have done a lot of that right from my kitchen table, which would have been more economical and affordable. what i would like to see is us address 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 the students who are 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 address 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 their only happy future is a four-year college degree. they go off to college and amass 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? opportunities 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 hair when another that heroine and other 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 prison and are coming out, that we provide them with a second chance so they don't start out behind when they are trying to get back into the workforce. so we need to attack this on all levels. our whole framework needs to change. resources make sure are available for health clinics in all of our neighborhoods. we have not provided the 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 and edition aspects and not treat this as a criminal justice matter. >> thank you so much. the heroine epidemic is a scourge of across our state and

nation. i doubt there is anyone in this room that could not talk about a personal connection you have and you know with someone whose life has been changed, altered, or horribled by this scourge of heroin addiction. i've been proud to work to bring change in harford county. partnering with the hospital to really know how many overdoses, and god forbid even deaths we have, and where are they. i'll take you what i've learned about the heroine addiction after working with the sheriff, this is an issue that really needs to be look at from the local level. it looks differently in all of our communities. some of the strategies we are employing in harford county when not work in baltimore city. some of the strategies that baltimore city uses would not

work in harford county. so i believe we need to empower our local recovery centers and are parents and families to really deal with this issue at its core. i support the justice -- westment where we are should not be locking people up who are doing petty crimes because of their drug addictions. that is no way for us to solve this heroine crisis. withwould point out respect to that last comment that the maryland legislature looked at this issue with respect to marijuana is a substance and decided to decriminalize it. expand the scope of criminal penalties for marijuana. i think that is the wrong way to go. i think we should be trying to find treatment in addressing the

issue at its core. >> the next question goes to you first. >> thank you. the marijuana issue i cannot let go. i am sorry, but this is -- i did oppose that because that would allow people to smoke pot on the boardwalk in ocean city. that's what our debate was about. it is illegal to walk down the boardwalk within open container of beer or alcohol and it should also be illegal for you to smoke pot on the boardwalk. regarding syria and the middle east. i would not support putting our military men and women on the

ground. i have been able to meet with the military experts and generals and national security experts and they said to me, what is our mission? do you know what we are doing in the middle east? no, it's not clear. if you don't have a clear goal and objective, i am a proud daughter of a 20 year career army veteran. korea andved in vietnam. i know firsthand the family struggles who were left behind. i would never take lightly the lines of many women who served our military by putting them in harms way without a clear direction and leadership from the commander-in-chief. >> it would be a civil penalty to smoke marijuana. you would still be illegal, it's

just they couldn't throw in jail for doing that. the decision of putting our men and women in harms way, that is the most solemn decision that congress or the american people can make. my view is we should only do that when our national security interests are at stake. i opposed the war in iraq. i was a strong early opponent to the war because i didn't think it meant that tests, and we've seen the fallout from that war. i believe that putting american ground combat troops in syria would be a huge mistake and just make matters worse. effortsport the ongoing to go after isis, and we have to eliminate and defeat isis. we do that by supporting the iraqi military and the kurdish forces in both iraq and syria. we have an ongoing battle to retake mosul in iraq. is providing air

support for those iraqi forces as well as kurdish forces in syria. we need to do that because we eliminaterangle and isis. this is a serious issue. in my view, putting american ground combat forces in syria would not accomplish our goal. it would make things worse and would drag us into another iraq. a previous for him that i he with the congressman, thinks we are safer today than we were seven years ago. i would say we are not. i worry about the future. it's one of the reasons i'm running. i have a granddaughter who is 20 months old. the young mom i speak to around the state feel the same way. our country is not safer today than it was. i know that we need some people in washington, -- that will value our military and know that their primary job is to keep

america and americans safe. >> thank you very much. >> the next question comes from andy greene. >> what steps should congress take to address climate change and what role should the epa play. >> climate change is obviously a global but very local problem. just to highlight a point, we had a hearing a while back at the u.s. naval academy in annapolis and we had the superintendent of the naval academy testify to the challenge and threat that climate change post locally but also pointed to the flooding at the docks in annapolis as an example of how was having a local impact. the failure to act and address climate change is contributing to more intense weather events and people are playing -- paying more in their property and casualty insurance.

this would do that by putting a cap on the amount of carbon consistent with the scientific recommendations but also return the proceeds 100% back to american households, so that over 80% of american households in depth with more money in their pockets at the end of the day than before. and it addresses the issue of what happens when our competitors are not playing by the same rules as we would apply a tariff equal to the amount it would cost them to do what we are doing here in the united states of america. it brings with it lots of jobs opportunities to invest in more clean energy, and energy efficiency, which maryland is beginning to do and which can be a big job growth area for us. >> if you like the rain tax are going to love his climate change tax. that is exactly what it is.

was attacks on 9% of the chesapeake pay -- they watershed. to clean up the bay, that 91% of the rest of the watershed was contribute into, not dealing with the susquehanna and the pollution coming from pennsylvania. that is actually what this will be. it will be a tax on your utility bill. we must look at the science. i'm not a scientist but i know themwe need to look for for advice. i will protect americans and american jobs. of course humans impact our environment, but we're not going to ask america and americans in american jobs to do the work for the entire globe. it needs to be a fair playing

field. those of you who drive through , those will be shipped to china where they will burn at coal plants. they do not have the same environmental conditions and standards that we had in america. mr. van hollen: let me say that with respect to the chesapeake bay, i am pleased to be the cosponsor of the chesapeake bay 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 on a tariff. moderator: next question goes to ms. szeliga. cybercrime has affected millions in 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 here locally and the nbc affiliate and washington dc came out and interviewed as because our website got an a.

he said they were going to work -- 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. many people have 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 information between the public sector and private sector. it is costing businesses and costing families. i was pleased to put together and when a federal grant for

maryland community colleges. $15 million to train maryland community college students in the skills of cyber security and cyber technology. those students are now better prepared to get jobs at places like fort meade and the u.s. cyber command. we need to elevate that to a full command. that is good for jobs and security. moderator: any rebuttal? ms. szeliga: -- i think his record speaks for itself. >> this race may determine whether maryland builds its first all pale delegation since 1973. should voters be concerned? mr. van hollen: women, men, people of all backgrounds, i hear them saying they want someone who has been 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. we are trying to get that through. i respect the woman's right to choose and the right to 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 fight.

i find it ironic in this situation where my opponent is supporting the most unqualified person for president. i am supporting the most qualified person, who also happens to be a woman who i first -- hope will become the first woman president of the united states. ms. szeliga: women love when men mansplain things to us. i will say that women are multifaceted voters. we bring such a value and diversity to the table in making laws. every day for the last 15 years -- i've looked in the mayor and said i look like a woman. donna edwards said what a 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 -- proudly had women represent

them in washington dc. i was a little girl. my mom had a beehive hairdo and the cat glasses, wearing and apron, cooking dinner on that avocado green stove, and her choices in employment were a nurse or teacher. my mom is a proud teacher. think how far we have come. we've come a long way, baby. teacher and nurse our career options, but also i think 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. mr. van hollen: i am not 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 dictate 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. i am not the one who led -- i 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 have a candidate for president who is most qualified in our history, who happens to be a woman, that you would -- governor hogan put country over -- that you would put party over country in making that decision. governor hogan put country over party. you have not. 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? ms. szeliga: the national debt 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? people are 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. that 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. it starts 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 cuts, it is interesting -- people need to realize that when government talks about a cut, it is not 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. mr. van hollen: 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 framework 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 -- a system where the veterans administration can control this prices. the proposals that we have yet -- we need to generate more economic growth. i would point out that donald trump's plan has been looked at by nonpartisan observers. it would destroy the deficit the

times what it is today. she is supporting a candidate that would blow the national debt. ms. szeliga: i continue to criticize things on both sides of the aisle. we need people who will not go to their corner 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. he has a lifetime 6% with them. 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. congress 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 important provisions, even in a polarized environment. we did the reauthorization for 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. going forward, i really hope we 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 jobs. 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. ms. szeliga: veterans, that is

where my heart is. that is where my heart is troubled day 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. the suicide hotline, i was in 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 bill just four weeks ago. he stood with unions and not with veterans. we have so many problems in the v.a. that needs to be solved. i look forward to working with great men like john mccain on these issues. i give you my 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. >> cities including baltimore have experienced increased shootings and gun homicides during the last few years. is 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 contain what i have done. i met with the marylanders against gun violence. we meet with people who may or may not agree with you on 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. they're 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. we have to enforce the laws on

our books and that is how we are going to turn things around. my opponent demagogues this issue. he uses this issue to raise money. i am sure he will tell you a lot of things that i will not be able to rebut when i'm done here. 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 mom by the name of carol price who lost her son to an accident when he went to plan -- when he went to play at a neighbors house. 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.

we need to close the big loophole in the criminal background check system right now. we need universal criminal background checks. we should not have people on the terrorist watch list buying the 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 -- she voted against that commonsense gun safety legislation here in maryland, and the only person of my knowledge was raising money on this issue is delegate szeliga. she got money from the gun lobby and the nra. i do not know how they found common ground with marylanders against gun violence. moderator: 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 behalf 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. working together, we can do all these things as marylanders. one of my favorite sayings is that the world needs doers. and the world needs dreamers. most of all, the world needs dreamers who do.

let us be dreamers and doers. i ask for your support on election day. ms. szeliga: you have a clear choice today. in november 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? doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. 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 business owner. i'm going to roll up my sleeves 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. >> c-span's washington journal, live every day, with news and policy issues that impact you. this week we are focusing on presidential battleground states leading up to election day. thursday morning it is florida. talks about the latest developments in the state in the presidential race and key statewide races, plus a look at

florida's past presidential voting history and why political races are so competitive in the state. mid cesar joins us to discuss the clinton campaign strategy in florida. as well as advertising, voter enthusiasm, and other key statewide down ballot races. , the gop and the trump campaign strategy. messaging in florida and how this year's election differs from previous ones. be sure to watch washington journal live at 7:00 a.m. eastern thursday morning. join the discussion. hampshire u.s.ew senate debate between kelly ayotte and democratic governor maggie hassan in concord, new hampshire on c-span. report lists the

race as a tossup. now the south dakota senate debate. moderated bys former editor and publisher jack marsh. [applause] >> welcome, everyone, from the heartland of america. since all's, south dakota. to rotary club is honored host this forum and issues debate between the two candidates for u.s. senate seat representing south dakota. i'm jack marsh, longtime journalist and retired executive of the net, the freedom forum, .nd the newseum

they will have a fair opportunity to make the best cases and state their position on a wide range of issues. the questions are mine and have not been shared in advance. as moderator, i challenge the candidates talk about themselves , their views, their values, their experiences, and not go negative against their opponents. in thell of you here holiday inn ballroom to be respectful of the candidates by avoiding applause and outbursts that could detract from the civility and a core of this debate. the candidates will each have one minute to respond to most of the questions. more time may be allotted as born to. dianne bentley who is seated down in front is the official timekeeper and she will hold up warning signs for the candidates as time runs down and then expires. the initial speaking order were

determined by coin toss earlier this evening. halfway through the debate speaking order will be reversed and mr. williams will get the first question. we begin with two personal questions. give us some insight into how you perceive yourself concisely with one word or two word descriptions it possible. what are the 12-15 most important personal trait, qualities, characteristic, and values that define you as a person? ne.begin with mr. thu great to be with you again today. 12-15 is a lot. i don't know if i can get that many. what i would say is, i'm just a

small town kid who loves his state. western part of south dakota. when i was growing up, like city and end at the limits. we didn't have internet. the upbringing i had come of the chance to go live in a small town, participate in a lot of activities. i got to play football and basketball and run track and and do all the things you get to do in a small town. i would say if i could use one word, i'm just a small town kid. >> esther williams: take you for having us and thank you to the downtown rotary. i'm happy to be here today. i'm also a fourth-generation south dakota boy, raised on a around gettysburg, south dakota. i'm a veteran of the peace corps

and i've been a businessman for the last 30 years. i think of myself as being an open and fair minded sort of person. i like talking to people. i've been going around the state for the last six or seven months in meeting people. i really enjoy doing that. i consider myself to be fairly personable and open to ideas. i don't hold any ideas sacrosanct. i would like to hear what you have to say, especially if you can convince me, i am the kind of guy who will change. i consider myself open and willing to listen to new ideas and i look forward to hearing from you guys today. >> had you keep your mind sharp, stay well-informed, and continue to learn?

please explain your reading and viewing habits. what kind of books and periodicals do you read and trust and how to use down top of domestic and international developments? age, thereday and are so many sources of information and news out there that you can get your news from. i always say that in the morning i tried to read the wall street journal and the new york times so i know what both sides are saying. you have to have diverse reading habits. junkie andome a news often you lose balance. my dad is 97 years old. he has too much time to watch cable news. i'm like dad, turn it off. , and id balance in life

get that with my family. but i would say is you have to be a really good listener. i get a lot of information from listening to people in this state, what is on their hearts and minds and that shapes a lot of what i do and how i view the issues. >> most of the reading i do is philosophy, believe it or not. guy.d was a philosophy he had a large library of philosophy books and he recommended a lot of them to me. that's a kind of reading i do. i watched the cable news networks and i enjoy them. i tried to watch a lot of news. that is mostly what i watch on television. the last documentary i saw was about the 13th amendmentan