that agree with us and those that don't. we should realize that more than ever before in my lifetime, the fundamental protections of the constitution -- majority rule, minority rights, individual rights, rule of law, same set of rules apply to everybody -- those things are in great danger , and i'm telling you, i think it is an enormous opportunity that we have been given to elect kamala harris. [cheers and applause] i think she is clearly up for the job. tim walz is clearly up for the job. they will bring us together and move us forward.

will everything be hunky-dory? will you agree with everything they do? no, this is the real world, but you still get a chance to do as much good for as many people, so go out there and win this because -- [cheers and applause] your country needs you. your families need you. future generations need you. so, starting today, take advantage of the chance to vote early and spend the rest of the time all the way to election day taking other people to the polls. [applause]

a lot of people need a plan to vote. they need help voting. we have so much hay in the barn. there is not another country on the face of this earth that is better position for the next 20 years than the united states -- not one. [cheers and applause] but we have been through so much turmoil, so much trouble. we still have people with ptsd from covid. this has been tough on people. you've got to take a deep breath and push this thing over the finish line. thank you. on behalf of my grandchildren and yours, there is a lot on the line.

so far, for more than 250 years, everybody that has been against america has lost money. [cheers and applause] do not -- don't let them down. don't let the future down. don't let the kids down. don't let the prospect that we might learn to live together, learn from each other, and have fun again with our differences got away. you can do it. [cheers and applause] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2024] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org]

♪ as vice president kamala harris' running mate.

[indiscernible chatter]

the debate was hosted by wcny tv

in syracuse. host: good evening and welcome to wcny's debate for new york's 22nd congressional district. i'm david lombardo, host of wcny's the capital press room and connect new york. joining me in the studio are republican congressman brandon williams and democratic state senator john mannion, who are vying for a two-year term in congress, representing onondaga and madison counties and parts of oneida, cayuga and cortland counties. we are going to spend the next hour discussing domestic issues of both national and local importance, with rebuttals, follow-ups, and additional time at my discretion. we are going to hear introductory remarks from the candidates. and as a result of a meticulous coin toss backstage, state senator john mannion logo first. -- we'll go first. senator, you have 90 seconds. >> thank you so much. thank you to wcny and pbs for hosting this and thank you to

dave for moderating. i was born here. i have lived here my entire life. i love this region and i have served my community in the classroom. i was an ap biology teacher. my wife is also a teacher. we raised our kids here. we both grew up in the city of syracuse. we live in the town of gaddis, and we have made our life here as so many have. but we have also watched the challenges that have existed in this region, and i have that built into my dna. i will always fight for this region, always be a good reflection of this region. i left a job that i loved, the greatest job in the world. the most gratifying job in the world, to advocate for central new york and now the mohawk valley, to represent the 22nd district, the place i love. >> congressman brandon williams, you have 90 seconds, as well. >> thank you, thank you for hosting us. i am glad to be here. good evening. i brandon williams, congressman am for central new york.

and i just want to start by remembering the families that are facing incredible hardship in our heartland, in western north carolina, tennessee and elsewhere, as well as those are bracing for the historic storm in florida. i began my career as an nuclear submarine officer in the navy, i spent the last 20 or so years as a businessman and entrepreneur, i am a political outsider. three years ago, i didn't know anyone in politics. so why did i run for congress? i am concerned for our children's future. my wife and i have been married for 32 years, have two grown children, and i am generally concerned about our constitutional republic and what that looks like going forward. the fact is our nation needs better leaders, leaders of the lead on common sense, on energy, on inflation and the economy, on the border, and on crime. i hope that is what you hear tonight. since being elected in congress, we have solved 1500 constituent

cases. i have brought back $45 million of funding to our local community, and i am glad to be here with you tonight. >> now we will turn to the question portion of the evening and start with congressman brandon williams. you have 60 seconds for your responses and then the other candidate will get a chance to respond as well. congressman, this week, a dozen state attorneys general from around the country sued tiktok arguing that has been designed , to be addictive and is ultimately detrimental to mental health of young people. here in new york state, state policymakers adopted a law this summer regulating how miners use social media platforms like instagram. should congress take actions to restrict the use of social media by minors, and if so, what are the steps you would take? >> i am concerned about tiktok. funny enough, i was the only member of congress that actually was in tiananmen square during the protests in 1989. i have seen with the chinese

communist government can do upfront. tiktok is directly related to the influence of china. we see that with social media, a declining mental health of our young people. and the closing in. it is very different from the childhood that i grew up in. playing out in the community with lots of neighbors and lots of sports outside. it is something congress is tracking very carefully and it is definitely something that it needs to do about. >> state senator? >> i spent over a generation in a classroom. i taught before cell phones, and i talked afterwards. and i watched the negative impact that apps like tiktok have on our children along with a bunch of other easily accessible social media items and otherwise. the algorithm that exists within these systems is designed to honestly change the human brain. it is designed to perpetuate a

message that is destructive to the brains of our kids. also, tiktok is also concerning from the national security standpoint. therefore, i am supportive, this is where the federal government should step in and take action. we have done that in new york state to protect our children. it is long overdue. we need to make sure that our kids have the resources and the technology available to them, to be able to learn effectively. but what we do not need is the change of brain chemistry, which absolutely occurs under these algorithms, sending awful messages, repeated messages to these kids that are more and more disturbing as it relates to potentially drug use, suicide, violence, and other issues. so i fully am in support of highly regulating an organization like tiktok. >> today the biden administration issued a requirement that drinking water

systems across the country replace lead pipes by 2030 seven. given the prevalence of lead pipes in upstate communities like syracuse, state senator manion, do you support this mandate? and regardless, what should the federal government to help facilitate the replacement of lead pipes? >> thank you for the question. in upstate new york we have old infrastructure. we have been here a long time so we have integrated systems including in our pipes. another's problem is lead paint in the dust that comes with that. this is incredibly dangerous to our children. we have elevated levels in our city. as a state senator, we have taken an initiative. we are helping to fund the replacement of the lines going into residents and businesses. we absolutely have to do it and

we have to support our municipalities to be able to do it. that is where the federal government can come in. the money we will be saving when we keep our kids safe, when they don't have lead poisoning, when it is not impacting their learning skills is a win for all of us, because they can go on to a successful life. we have decreased rates of violence, decreased rates of incarceration. increased rates of graduation when we keep our lead systems -- we keep lead out of our systems. >> congressman, same question to you. >> sure. as senator mannion mentioned, lead is very destructive to children, particularly in the middle stage of their life and their brain development. i am also echoing the senator about being concerned about paint, particularly in public housing. there are several things i have done since being sworn into office on exactly these kinds of issues. as i mentioned, i have

championed $45 million of project funding for communities here. many of those are water projects in the town of hamilton, elbridge, lafayette, as well as in madison county. this is long overdue investment in our community. with the anticipation of macron and the development that is coming here, there is a lot of work to do to get caught up on that, and that is where a lot of the $45 million that i have brought in has gone. i directly addressed it in the last year and a half in congress. >> i went to photo op with you on the ruling today from the epa. essentially, this is a mandate to drinking water systems. are you ok with the federal government passing down a mandate like this? >> when it comes to drinking water that will impact the physiological systems of our kids, we absolutely have to take steps to make sure our communities are safe. what we did do in the state was

passed legislation so that we would have more frequent testing of drinking water in schools, and that the lead levels that are acceptable within that water have been adjusted so that threshold is such that we can flag the problem and address it immediately. >> and are you ok with the epa basically doing a mandate on water systems around the country and in new york specifically? >> there is a lot of precedent for this already. there is the failed system in michigan that the federal government got involved in an mandated change, that the epa would step in and do this does not surprise me, doesn't seem beyond the scope of the federal government. part of my technology background that i bring is from what is called the process industries, wastewater system and water systems is part of that, to have alerts, look for changes in levels, it is part of the

experience i bring to congress, and from my business experience. >> before we go on, i want to announce that the mets have defeated the phillies 7-2 in game three, taking a 2-1 leading the division series there. moving on to congressman williams. since 2021 college athletes have , been able to get paid for their name, image and likeness. the current dynamic has raised questions about the rites of students as well as the future of nonrevenue-generating sports. should congress dip into this vacuum? what are the key tenets of national regulations in the space? >> i met with the head of the ncaa who also happens to be president of baylor university. by a strange twist of fate, her husband with my counselor. he played professional basketball. i am concerned about the flood of money into college sports, there is even talk of a super league stability from the ncaa.

look, college is about getting an education and it is about showing up. when there is so much money coming in, a disadvantage is programs like syracuse university that top tier, the division one, but they are unable to compete with giant programs and all the money that goes into attracting talent. there has to be a balance to that. the fact that athletes get paid, i am ok with that socket is to be more sharing and a lot more control over how that happens. >> state senator? >> what has happened with these recent standards is like it is like the wild wild west. it really is. we have great can international additions in this country. the leaders of those institutions have great concern about the lack of emphasis on academics and more focus on athletics. we love our sports, absolutely. and we love the players of those

sports. but we need overriding federal legislation that should be negotiated with the ncaa. we have got to -- we did pass legislation in the state. we were doing that because we had to play catch-up with other states as we were approaching the end of the legislative session. we know other states may have had an advantage. i am proud of the universities in the district, and i want to make sure that we support them, so we did that. but the infusion of money into the system, along with the way the transfer portal is, in many way, it is ruining college sports. we have to get this right. it takes a collective negotiating effort with leaders of different conferences, universities, the ncaa. >> it is a tricky one. [laughter] we have had other state lawmakers back in a data mix at the naacp>> and the ncaa.

>>[laughter] so you are in good company. you mentioned the transfer portal. thumbs up, thumbs down? the unanimity on that issue though, congressman, should student athletes moving forward be treated as employees of the institutions that they are attending, including the collective bargaining rates that might come with that? >> in terms of them being employees, they do function within the university system. they are not free agents outside the university system so they should be employees within the system. you have seen in unions and all the professional sports -- in all the professional sports. whether that should go to college sports, i don't know. they are there for a finite amount of time in their college careers. the primary thing about college, again, is to get an education. we can't get that lost in the flood of money and rules and the

excitement of sports. >> state senator? >> we went to make sure these students are protected, and they are protected by collective bargaining rates. i know there is movement in that direction. i support it. there are individuals we are not focusing on, the non-revenue generating athletes. they are important in many way, these universities. they make the universities and enriched environment for many. my own children have participated at that level. so this is something that, again, to protect everyone in participation in these intercollegiate sparkles, i do believe that is a good fit. , again, it would require negotiation and partnership to make sure we get it right. we are in a situation with a lot of money floating around where there is a history of young people being taken advantage of.

>> my next question will start with senator mannion. at 46%, syracuse has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the country and new york's rate is above the national average. in new york, state policymakers have set a goal of getting child poverty in half by 2032, but they stress the need for federal action to make substantive improvements. what changes to the social safety net do you a to address child poverty at the federal level? >> it is going to be hard to answer this in one minute. poverty does not happen overnight. what my work has already done -- and i want to transfer this to the federal level, is the number of things. we need to make sure our schools, which are the great equalizer, our public schools, have every resource they need to support our students including at the prekindergarten level, which we have expanded to upstate new york. students should be able to go to school and we should have universal school meals. so there is both breakfast and lunch for them. we are already preparing food in that setting. beyond that, we need to make

sure we are supporting apprenticeship programs, like i have in the state. the manufacturers alliance of central new york, i carried a budget item which i more than doubled -- from $750,000 to 1.75 million dollars. that is changing lives. people are earning money while they are learning and changing careers. it is opportunity that is necessary. i tried to get as much in in that many. i would say housing, health care, transportation, are all a big part of making sure there are no barriers to that opportunity. >> congressman williams, 60 seconds, child poverty. >> that is a big topic. since being elected to congress, i have championed the children's raised center program in east adams neighborhood. in fact, there are $3 million that we have been able to secure it in federal funding exactly to that problem, targeted to the

most vulnerable community that we have. i have also championed the child tax credit, giving parents more resources to escape poverty while having children. i always come back to education and income from -- and i come at it from a different point of view. we have already spent more money than any other country in the road on education. my wife and i are both products on public schools. we have benefited from those. but i support school choice for parents. i hear this all the time, particularly in poor neighborhoods, that school choice, or vouchers that give their children the best educational opportunities available, not just the local school, but available to them, is one of the key ways that we can drive an end to child poverty. >> i want to follow up on the program that you mentioned there, congressman, the idea of the child tax credit. we saw an expansion of this

benefit during the pandemic, and and it dramatically reduced child poverty cutting rates right here in new york by nearly 50%. thinking about the credit moving forward, what should the benefit look like? >> there are proposals now being discussed. this is a budgetary issue and we are championing extending the child tax credit. all of that will be hashed out in the messy process of congress. but the fact is that we need to support families that are choosing to have children. if you look at the actual birthrate in america, it is underneath the 2.1 self-sustaining rate. immigration, of course, helps with that, but it is also critical that we encourage families to have children, make it affordable for them and incentivize them. . which is important for our country. >> state senator, any thoughts on the federal level? >> in new york state, we

delivered for the people in this state, we acted and responded and wanted to provide relief for evergreen families. at the federal level, we absolutely have to support it, in fact, it should already be extended. but what we're seeing is a congress right now that is not getting anything done. they are playing theatrical politics. removing speakers. but the people of this country and this region expect more. when we talk about families and making sure that they can make ends meet, we can talk a lot, or we can take action. we can work together in a bipartisan way to make sure that we are delivering of those folks. i am ultimately supportive of the expansion of the federal tax credit. >> i went to pivot to some questions i have decided to be a yes or no responses. we will start with the congressman. the right to contraception has been affirmed by multiple supreme court cases, but nothing

stops the supreme court from reversing past precedents like we saw with the dobbs decision in 2022. given that background, should congress passed legislation affirming a right to birth control such as hormonal contraception? >> yes. >> state senator? >> yes. >> follow-up, state senator, federal regulations require most private health insurance plans to cover contraception methods that require a prescription. in light of the fda of the rising opill, a daily oral contraception available without prescription, should the insurance mandate be expanded to cover over the counter birth control which would not require a prescription? >> we absolutely should make sure that contraception is covered by insurance companies. it makes perfect sense. and the people of the 22nd district would support that. >> is that the over-the-counter

prescriptions, as well? >> yes. >> excellent. congressman, same question, do you support expanding the mandate to over the counter birth control i have to tell you? >>, we have two kids, and that is probably a broad range of what over-the-counter birth control is. without full knowledge of that, i don't know of any restrictions that would prevent insurance providers from covering that. >> no restrictions, but amended to require that they cover over the counter birth control. >> if that is through the aca, the mandate system. >> it is not part of it now, they only cover things that are require a prescription. this new opill doesn't require a prescription. should that be under the mandate? >> there is a number of religious organizations that are opposed. when we get into these kinds of questions, federal mandates that force people that have a position of being in the systems, that is currently in