Transcripts For WMUR Granite State Debates 20161104

Im really proud of the record that weve put together. Josh tonight, the candidates for the second congressional district. Good evening, everyone. Welcome to our live wmur Granite State debate series from the New Hampshire institute of politics. Im police katrinacal director josh mcelveen. Tonight well be discussing the top issues facing the Granite State and the nation. Jim lawrence and congresswoman tonight. The rules of the road come from the moderator and our panelists. Each candidate will have one minute to respond. Rebuttals will be at the moderators discretion and each candidate have will will have time. Lets get to know our panelists for tonight. Dan, adam and kasey. With all that out of the way, lets get to the first question. Its directed to you, two terms and im sure youre aware that congress popularity is pretty low when it comes to american voters. They feel the been ineffective so far. Perhaps over the last two terms, most ineffective congress this country has seen. How do you make the case to Granite Staters that you are an effective representative . Cuft weve had, by the way ms. Kuster weve had, by the way, thank you, the great to be with you. Thanks for hosting us. We have had several years. Speaker boehner and then speaker ryan has had a lot of trouble with their caucus. The far right wing, the tea party part of that caucus wont let bills come to the floor, including the immigration bill thats bipartisan, supported by both senator ayotte and senator shaheen. But what ive tried to do is bring people together across the aisle. The biggest showcase piece of that has been the work that i did, founding the bipartisan details. But ive worked well across the aisle on veterans, on the Agriculture Committee, and for New Hampshire, bringing federal funding for a number of important projects. Josh thank you, maam. Mr. Lawrence, on the campaign trail youve talked about your experience on business. On Public Record theres not a whole lot of evidence for what you have done. If you could, please, describe a project or a contract that youve worked on in the last year that might better qualify you with that business brounled as member of Congress Background as a member of congress. Thank you for this opportunity to express my positions to the voters. Its an excellent question. Recently i put a testimonial video up on my website. Its of a former customer that i had, that i actually worked on a classified Surveillance Program that was dedicated to getting war fighters in the middle east the tools that they needed to fight and win. He happens to be a New Hampshire voter. And one of the thing im most did for him and the organization and the United States military to get our war fighters the equipment that they need, he talks about that hes using that as the basis to support me for my candidacy for congress. And im very proud of that record. I might add that my business did save the taxpayers millions of dollars, generated millions of dollars of revenue and created good paying jobs in New Hampshire. With full benefits. Josh you are applying for a j taxpayer dollars. According to records, Public Records, you are behind on property taxes. What should voters take from that, given that so much of your message is about fiscal responsibility . Mr. Lawrence i think the voters should take from that a very important message, just like they did two years ago when representive kuster was found to be five years in arears of her property taxes and over 5ds,000. These personal discussions about candidates backgrounds real issues that the voters should be concerned about. Yes, sometimes we fall behind in our bills. But i do always pay my taxes and i will continue to pay my taxes in the future. Josh congresswoman kuster . Ms. Kuster i just want to say, it was four years ago and a much smaller amount of money. I will say our taxes are paid in full and i think what the voters want to talk about are the issues, but these are issues of character and as to the business, i think if you have that great business experience, we ought to see the records and be able to take certainly the work that i did for 25 years as a working with New Hampshire legislators and as an adoption attorney was part of my interview with the voters, to become a member of congress. Im proud of my record and proud to be here tonight to talk about the work that ive been doing on their behalf in washington. Josh lets go to our panelists now. Adam thanks. Congresswoman kuster, earlier this year your information was campaign committee. Do you believe that a particular group or country was responsible for or behind this hack and should the government be doing more to protect members of Congress Online . Ms. Kuster i definitely think thats true. Yes. The f. B. I. Has said that it was a hack by the russian government in an attempt to interfere with our elections. Its a very serious state of affairs and my understanding is the f. B. I. Is continuing the investigation. It brings up the question about mr election, right at the final hour, about secretary clinton. I think he made a big mistake, there are two premiseses that are very basic in the f. B. I. And the department of justice, not to comment on an investigation during that investigation. And certainly not to comment before an election. But now that that is been compromised, i think they should come forward with the investigation about the russian and this is something that needs to come out. But, yes, absolutely, very serious about the allegations of interfering in our elections. Adam mr. Lawrence, if the u. S. Were to receive definitive information that a foreign nation was behind a cyberattack or hack of u. S. Resources or the government, would you be in favor of using conventional military means to respond . That is traditional warfare or with the appropriate restons or would the appropriate response be in cyberspace . Mr. Lawrence conventional military force in any case should be a measure of the last resort. Being a military veteran and a proud graduate of the United States air force academy, i know that we should not use our military in any situation around the world. This particular situation i would not be in favor of. We could utilize our current assets through a cyberresponse to this type of attack that would be much more appropriate than sending in military forces. Behind hacks in this election, theyre trying to influence the election in some way . Mr. Lawrence i dont have any evidence to show either way whether russia is trying to influence our election one way or another. So i would have to see the facts in that case and the evidence before i could make a decision on that. As far as i can tell, we have a Fair Election and the process should move forward. Josh thank you. Next question from kasey. Kasey lets continue about the cyberworld. Should the federal government step up its support for broadband in areas like New Hampshires North Country and the western part of the state . And how would you reassure voters in those areas who are concerned about falling behind either economically or otherwise because of that lack of connecttivity . Mr. Lawrence ive run a Good Campaign touting my business experience and im very proud of it. I think it puts me in a unique position to be able to help new businesses across the second congressional district. And i can tell you, im a big believer of supporting the infrastructure that business needs. The Business Community in New Hampshire needs not only Infrastructure Investments they also need cheap and readily available energy. So i would support both of those initiatives, particularly for economically depressed areas like the North Country. I think the vital for us to get those Companies Moving forward. Comment that the absolutely critical and the not not just the North Country, by the way. Peter bro, i had a round table with realtors in peter bro, parts of cheshire community. Ive tried to work with these communities to get federal funding. The rural agriculture program. Its a critical issue for New Hampshire and one that ill continue to work on to make businesses have access to broadband communication. Josh next question coming from dan. This time directed toward congresswoman kuster first. Dan demrmpling thank you. Congresswoman, you dan thank you. Congresswoman, you participated in a sitin in the congress to protest a lack of gun control. How do you justify that and tell people to trust the legislative process when you did not trust it . Ms. Kuster i think this goes back to joshs opening question. Its the gridlocha obstructionism in congress. And this is a perfect example, thank you for bringing it up. Voters here in New Hampshire and across the country, 85 of Granite State voters want the congress to be responsible, to keep our communitieses safe. Week after week, month after month, ive seen my colleagues come to what we call the well, come to the floor of the house, asking for a moment of silence after these horrific mass in San Bernardino and orlando and newtown. So we were not able under the Republican Administration to get a single hearing on these commonsense reforms that responsible gun owners agree with. 85 of the people want the background checks to cover all the sales. 22 of the sales, online sales, are not currently covered. And so im very confident that going into the upcoming session we wl will be able to move this forward. Dan what do you say to people who say that was just stunt . Ms. Kuster i dont think it was a stunt. It was to gain attention to the gridlock and to the obstructionism of a very small group of people. I keep coming back to that, 30 or 40 members of this far extreme group that are keeping the country from moving forward and the peoples house, dan mr. Laurence, you have been a steadfast advocate and support for the second amendment. Does that support ignore the vast majority of Granite Staters . And americans who are in favor of universal, more comprehensive background checks . Mr. Lawrence you know, no, i dont think it does. Because what ive campaigned on is i want to be an effective legislator. Unfortunately the types of proposals that im hearing coming from my opponent i do not believe will keep americans safe. Vermont is nation. It is that the point as well. And they certainly dont model their gun laws after this type of gun control. I might add that the sitin that you referred to previously came after the horrific orlando shooting. It was a great tragedy. The reality is that none of these provisions that were now proposing would have prevented that act from happening. However, what would have prevented it is making sure follow the leads, conclude its investigations, and also enforce the laws that are on the book. This was an individual that we had, we interviewed him, we knew he had ties to terrorists, and we couldnt get the job done. The existing laws would have prevented this from happening. If Law Enforcement had the proper resources. Ms. Kuster thats precisely what were talking about. If you are on a terrorist watch if you are on a terrorist watch list you should not be able to destruction of life in orlando. And i think theres broad agreement the American People feel that way. But we cant get a single hearing in the United States congress. Thats what im talking about. The peoples voice needs to be heard. And im telling you, wherever i go, responsible gun owners, of course i believe in the second amendment. The Second District of New Hampshire is a strong, be safe going to kindergarten, going to the mall, going to the theater. Josh next question coming from adam. Adam mr. Lawrence, you said you want to repeal and replace the Affordable Care act with a system that allows for lower costs and more portability for consumers. But without specifics, what do you say to people who might lose their Health Insurance under that move and would a repeal come before replacement is in place . Mr. Lawrence im going to correct that thank statement a little bit. I havent said i wanted to what i said is i wanted to repeal the portions of this law that dont make sense and replace them with things that would do a better job of servicing the American People. Some clear examples of that that i think we need to pursue is that the idea of allowing people to cross state lines to procure their Health Insurance is a good idea. Thats long overdue. It this will broaden the market, expand competition, and help drive costs down. I also think we need to make that particular provision of this law would have a disastrous impact not only on our economy, but also on our health care system. Adam representive kuster, for years now hospitals in the Second District and across New Hampshire have struggled to recruit and hire enough nurses with more People Accessing Health care through the Affordable Care act, this problem may only get worse. What changes beau make to the a. C. A. To ensure that the emphasis on primary care that is in the law is actually being implemented in the real world . Ms. Kuster absolutely. Just in response to the previous question, 100,000 people in New Hampshire now have coverage who didnt have coverage. So when were worried about the heroin epidemic, when were worried about our communities, incredibly important. I have supported some of the changes, repeal the cadillac tax, for example, i dont agree with the cross state lines because i think you end up going to the lowest common denominator. But getting to your question, people in and help to raise the skill level of our work force. We have an incredibly low unemployment, which is terrific. 2. 9 . Im very focused on bringing people in to our Health Care Delivery system and making sure that they have the skills. I was involved with the creation of a Brand New Community college in lebanon, New Hampshire, that will start to train more nurses and more people in health care professions. These are great jobs and we it. Ill continue to work on that. Getting the funding to create new programs and really lift peoples skills. Josh lets move on now. Kasey, first question going to congresswoman kuster. Kasey nationwide baby boomers are leaving the work force at a rate of more than 110,000 a day. The estimated that almost half of them have saved nothing for retirement. Meaning that they will rely heavily on Social Security. In addition, the urban institute says that baby personal debt than any previous generation. Should younger generations pay increased taxes to support them or should boomers be forced to accept austerity in the form of more limited benefits and, congresswoman kuster, to you first. Ms. Kuster sure. So so youre setting up an either or and i think theres a third option thats better for everyone. No, i do not believe that the burden should fall on young people. I also disagree and ill let my opponent speak for himself, hes talked about all options on the table. Congress has already raised the age from 65 to 67. If you work on your feet, as many teachers and people in trades do, theyre plenty ready to retire and theyve paid in. What i would do is raise the cap on the withholding from wages. So the now 11,500. Everyone making up to that 118,500. Everyone making up to that above that level they dont continue to have money taken out. So its a fairness issue. But also the Silver Lining is, if we raise that cap, we can make Social Security sustainable for the long term. Josh mr. Lawrence, same question for you. You said youd fence off the funding for Social Security. How does it keep it solvent . Mr. Lawrence a lot of reasons we have the issue with Social Security that we do now is because congress spent that money on other things. Before weak solvent, the First Priority should be to fence off the payroll taxes that we collect for Social Security and not allow congress to spend it on anything else. Then we can start looking at what other issues we can what other tools we can use to make Social Security solvent. I do disagree with my opponent on this issue. That we shouldnt just look at one particular item. Unfortunately congress has talked about this for many, many years. But they have failed to do know, the nice to sit up here on the debate stage and say that were going to solve all these problems. But, no offense, but my opponent has been in congress for four years and shes failed to introduce one piece of legislation to address this critical issue to the citizens of this state. Its time to start acting and not just giving lip service to solving some of these issues. Josh you have the right to respond. Ms. Kuster i have cosponsored legislation and this is something that i workn its, again, back to the Republican Tea Party thats blocking progress on this issue. Mr. Lawrence dont think we can blame the other party for everything that goes wrong in what we fail to do. We need to be held account fobble for what we do and what we dont do. Unfortunately i think my opponent has failed to act in this case in other cases, to solve the issues of the citizens of New Hampshire. Josh you can respond if you want. Then we have to move forward. Ms. Kuster i want to thank scheduled the hearings and that schedules the hearings and brings bills to the floor. Hes chosen not to act on this. I continue to support Bipartisan Legislation and will continue to work on it. Josh back to our panelist. Dan moving to climate change. The Paris Climate Accord went into effect today. Its the agreement that some 200 countries have pledged to limit the increasing Global Warming by up to two degrees celsius. But theres nothing to ensure that all the countries involved havent ratified it. Do you think the u. S. Should come up with a legislative framework to reduce Carbon Emissions . And if, so how would you do that . And if not, why is not mr. Lawrence you know, the environment is definitely something that we absolutely must protect. We have to protect our environment. But unfortunately our Environmental Protection agency has regulations that are outdated, that havent been updated, they dont protect our environment well. Our industry and our economy suffers. We must maintain an environment where we not only protect our environment, but we protect our ability to compete in a global economy. Yes, i do think that we already have laws on the books to curtail emissions, to save our environment and protect our environment. But we absolutely, positively have to update these regulations. Some of them going back to the 19 they protect our ability to compete in the global economy. We can look at flint, michigan, we can look at washington, d. C. , with the contamination of our water supply. We can look right here in New Hampshire with the pfoa taments of our water supply. The Environmental Protection agency has not been protecting our environment and theyve been damaging our economy. Josh congresswoman. Framework. Ms. Kuster back to the definitively. I think what we should do is use the model that we have here in new england thats worked very, very well. The regional Greenhouse Gas initiative. And what we can do is create jobs in Renewable Energy that will reduce Carbon Emissions and improve the economy right here in New Hampshire. There are many, many cases, im the cochair of the bioenergy caw you cuss caucus thats created wonderful jobs in the Forest Industry and trucking and bioenergy fuels. But we need were wasting too much money on the subsidization of fossil fuels, of coal and oil. Thats costing taxpayers millions, if not billions, of dollars. And we should be investing in Renewable Energy, reduce the emissions, grow the economy, and its a winwin. Mr. Lawrence a lot of the Renewable Energy initiatives and contracts weve signed is the reason why we have some of the highest electric rates in the country right now. If you talk to any Manufacturing Firm in this state, which ive spoken to many of them, they are actually expanding their capacity, theyre building plants in other states, because we cant give them cheap energy here in New Hampshire. Were shipping to other states, will swamp and clearly outnumber the. A jobs we can create through a renewable program. We need to protect our environment but we also need to protect our economy and we need to start creating new, goodpaying jobs, for the citizens of New Hampshire. I have young kids, i would like for them to have jobs to come work in New Hampshire, instead ned of leaving the state. Ms. Kuster we certainly agree on that, on creating jocks. And i visited dozens and dobbs. And i visit dozens jobs. I talk to them about energy and energy costs and message of them are instituting Renewable Energy projects at their plants to bring down their energy costs. The town of peterborough has a fantastic new program. Seven acres of solar panels that not only are going to provide energy for the town buildings, but now for the schools. So these are Great Projects and i think theyre going to grow the economy here in New Hampshire. Im very excited about it. Josh lets change pace a little bit. With sort of a l yes or no. Short answers. Just this week a new York Hedge Fund apparently bought two ski areas in your district. Loon and mount sentpy. Is this a good deal or bad deal for local skiers . Cuft weve just heard about it. I want to ms. Kuster weve just heard about it. The i want to investigate it. Its always good to invest in ski areas here in New Hampshire. I grew up in the ski industry. I want to do anything i can to create jobs and grow tourism New Hampshire. Mr. Lawrence im actually a former ski instructor so this is something near and dear to my heart. Cuft that we have in common ms. Kuster that we have in common. Mr. Lawrence at least we have that in common. Id have to see the at the tails of the plan. Whenever an outside entity purchases a resource within the state, i would be a little concerned or skeptical that we might get undue influence that might damage the ability to service our community. But id have to see the details of the josh maybe a bipartisan skiing trip. Ms. Kuster that would be awesome. Ill race you. Josh 57 prgs of 57 of the American Public believes its time to legalize recreational marijuana. Do you agree with the majority . Mr. Lawrence you know, this state, i believe, has taken prudent steps to regulate marijuana. I believe that it is a state issue. I would support the states right to regulate marijuana as it saw fit. Of making the federal law consistent and removing the ban at the federal level so that states could regulate it. But i wouldnt second guess the states wisdom in this particular issue. Ms. Kuster i think we agree again. I think were going to learn a lot here in New Hampshire with our experience on the medical marijuana. Well learn a lot on election day from massachusetts and maine about their initiatives on marijuana. Ive been hearing mixed reports because im very there are some people who think it could be a good thing for people with high anxiety, other people who ive met in recovery who started down the path to drug addiction with marijuana in their young teens. So i think the jurys still out. But i wouldnt disagree with this approach. Josh you both defer to the state, saying the their decision. Do you think that its time to legalize reng reactional my constituents. I think it would be a statewide referendum. Frankly, im in the process of learning more about it in terms of the societal impact, particularly the Public Health impact. I think were going to learn a lot from colorado, oregon and washington state. But i dont want to presume to have that answer until the jurys still out, until we know. Mr. Lawrence i wouldnt second guess the states wisdom on that. The federal law didnt encroach on the peoples will in New Hampshire and i would stick with that. Josh all right. Should Congress Open an investigation into, we touched on the opioid issue, major problem in this state, if not the biggest problem in this state, should they open an investigation into pharmaceutical companies and their role in the addiction crisis . Mr. Lawrence no one i dont think anyone hasnt been touched by this tragedy. The very unfortunate whats going on in our state and we absolutely have to do fight the drug crisis thats going on currently. I do believe that we should not leave any stone unturned. Thats why if im elected to be your congressman, i would support and work with state and local officials everywhere i could to make sure they had the support, not only to give to Law Enforcement, but also to make sure that we have adequate Treatment Facilities and to make sure that we have enough resources for education, to try and protect our josh the question was, do you think congress should open an investigation into the pharmaceutical companies to see if they are marketing in a negative way . Mr. Lawrence i dont believe that thats a role that congress should take right now. I think we clearly understand whats going on here. Unlike my opponent, she might have a different opinion. From what i understand, she was a big phrma lobbyist for many right way for us to go. Josh congresswoman . Ms. Kuster the attorney generals already have. Joe foster in New Hampshire is involved in this lawsuit. Already the evidence is coming in. That the pharmaceutical companies that were selling the opiates were telling the Health Care Providers that they were quoteunquote not very addictive. When they made the to objection oxycodone to oxycontin, the longer lasting, this is something our Bipartisan Task force is already looking into. We have 85 members of congress, republicans and democrats, working together. We passed 18 bills last june, very rare, and now were getting the funding for education, treatment, longterm recovery, investigating about Pain Management and techniques companies. As well as the funding for Law Enforcement. So absolutely the answer is yes. Josh congresswoman, would you support an amendment, constitutional amendment, to balance the budget . Ms. Kuster heres what i support. Legislation with senator shaheen for a biannual budget which is the process that we use here in New Hampshire. So you spend the first year creating the budget and the second year on the spending. Part of the problem in congress is that they are in a now its broken down completely under speaker ryan. So i dont think we need the constitutional amendment. I think we can have a balanced budget. And that we can do it in a biannual budget cycle. Mr. Lawrence yes, i would support a constitutional amendment to balance the budget. We balance our budget every year here in the state of New Hampshire. Its worked very well for us. If we had a balanced Budget Amendment on the books already, we might not be in 20 trillion its a big, serious issue. Congress has failed to address this issue to date. I think the time to get serious about doing that. I would also support going to a biannual budgeting process. I do believe that is a more efficient and effective way to plan and budget for the federal government. Josh thank you. Just occurred to me the kind of heavy for a lightning round. We are where we are. What federal tax loophole, mr. Lawrence, would you close . Have you identified any . La the mr. Lawrence i dont think the federal tax any particular federal tax loophole need to be closed particularly but i think we need to look at the 22,000pluspages of tax code and close many of them. If we flatten our tax that we charge for income tax, and streamline our process, make a tax code that most people can understand, i mean, the average c. P. A. Cant even understand everything thats in the tax we would collect more taxes. Wed reduce the burden of americans and wed be able to move our economy quicker, at a faster pace. One of the biggest problems we have right now is that our economy is growing at the slowest race slowest rate in the history of the country. Eight years with the highest g. D. P. Growth rate of 3 . We have to make a change. Josh not only was it a heavy lightning round, but we also blew the concept of lightning round. Ms. Ku josh of course. I was leading to that. Take your time. Same question. Ms. Kuster thank you. The number one tax loophole that i would close is the one that encourages u. S. Companies to ship jobs overseas. New hampshires been hit very hard by this. The something that thats come up in previous campaigns as well. What i want to do is bring those dollars back to the United States and invest them here locally to grow our economy and create jobs here at is you close the loophole that encourages companies to ship jobs overseas, and instead you change the law to bring those funds back, repatriate the earnings and put it into an Infrastructure Bank that will grow our economy, grow infrastructure and grow jobs right here at home. Josh one more quick then. Then well move on. Astronaut mark kelly expects a manned mission to mars by the year0. Do you think thats realistic . Would you support funding for it . Mr. Lawrence i think the timelines a little short for that to be honest with you. I have experience in engineering with space systems, one of the first jobs that i had after graduating from the air force academy. These missions take a lot of time to plan and it take a lot of resources. So id have to look at the details. But i dont think we can get to that mark by 2020. Josh would you support program, i could see doing that. But id have to see the details. Ms. Kuster i think mark kelly is terrific. Im glad hes been here. I trust his judgment, having worked at nasa, that thats a viable plan. I do i would support the project and the funding because i think the technology that comes from space travel, that we can use throughout our economy, is critically important to growing the jobs of the 21st century. So yes. Josh good stuff. Next question coming from social media on it is from valerie. Shes asking, given the Current Crisis in the New Hampshire dairy industry, what can be done to help protect the future of these farms, so that the next generation can take over the farming . Ms. Kuster thank you very much for that question. The very pertinent. We had, i serve on the Agriculture Committee and we Dairy Farmers who came to clairemont just a couple of months ago, actually today in my office i was drafting a letter to the committee about changes in whats called the margin protection program. I wont get too far into the weeds. But basically there are a number of steps that congress can take to help our Dairy Farmers. The primary one is that New Hampshire, new england, is at the end of the proverbial end of the road here in terms of high costs of feed, high cost for shipping, and given the weather that we had and the drought this dairy farms and we only started with 120 this year, so the been very, very tough for us. Im working with the farms, im working with both sides of the aisle on this issue and the one i think we can resolve. The good news is, in the very short term, i think the state is going to give them some relief on a special program they have. And then well get this fixed for the long term. Josh what about you, mr. Lawrence. Farms are closing the door at an accelerated rate. What can be done . Near and dear to my heart. Something that most people dont know is one of my first jobs as a teenager was working in marl bro, New Hampshire, helping with livestock and there was a dairy farmer out there by the name of mr. Kenny that i have very fond memories of helping him out on his dairy farm. Unfortunately hes had to convert his dairy farm to now a maple farm. He makes maple syrup because he couldnt keep up. We have taken some steps to try an p but theres definitely more that we can do. I think it is important for us to do that. I would be willing to work with state and legal officials to make sure that the dare local officials to make sure thathe Dairy Farmers have the support they need to ride out hard economic times, which theyre suffering under right now. To make sure that we maintain this important part of our industrial base. Josh lets get our panel back in here. Next question coming from New Hampshire public radio. Kasey what is one specific concrete action the federal hampshires North Country and sn ms. Kuster lots of different things, but let me just start with this program that i mentioned. The u. S. Department of agriculture, rural development. I have been a part of bringing that to the North Country. It can be used not just for not for profit investments, so just could to give you an example, bristol, New Hampshire, not quite all the way up north, but opening a brand new Health Clinic. We did open a new Health Clinic for veterans in that issue in other areas as well. Also forprofit companies. So im working with a couple of different companies. Just had a visit to the groveton mill this week. Basically thats a terrific project. We have turned around the mill. Youll remember the paper mill that closed there. And we were talking about a Vermont Company thats coming all up. And this Vermont Company is going to start in the next couple of months with 60 new jobs. The funds that i brought to the North Country for repairing and replacing 24 redlisted bridges and putting in lots of new pavement is going to make a difference for that community as well. Josh mr. Lawrence, same opportunity to visit many farms throughout the second congressional district. Farms like wayland engineering in charleston. The one thing that every one of these businesses has told me is that theres two issues that they face that they cant get around. Our high energy costs, followed by overregulation from our government. Im happy to hear that were going to have 60 new jobs in groveton. But ive had accounts and ive seen evidence that weve jobs over the past several years because these companies are investing in other states because they cant afford to do business here in New Hampshire. The North Country is no different. The number one thing we can do is regulation. My opponent doesnt seem to have a voting record that supports that. They recently voted against the regulatory relief for Small Business act. Which was an act that was regulation coming from wae of our businesses from being able to invest in New Hampshire and grow. Josh response . Ms. Kuster i think what we need to do is grow jobs in the North Country and work with these companies. If there are overburdensome regulations, im happy to worning that. I havent seen that im happy to work on that. I havent seen that problem with my visits to the companies because what theyre really dealing with is the fact that the jobs were shipped overseas, the Paper Industry closing down a dozen paper mills, weve got bioenergy jobs to berlin and gorham and im really excited about the plant that opened there and what bioenergy can do, what forest, Timber Industry can do generally for jobs in the North Country is going to revitalize that part of the state. And also the tourism, i do a lot of work. I even have worked on bioenergy with the cog railways. The ski areas, all of the different types of industry up manufacturing, bringing that back, working on retail and working on growing the economy so that we can improve the quality of life. Its a beautiful place and one of my favorite parts of the state. Josh youre both aware the Second District would be home to a rather controversial project. Lets get back to the panelists questions on that. You mentioned the high cost of energy. Lets talk about the north pass project which would bring hydropower into and through New Hampshire. Youve called it a bad deal. On the table . Mr. Lawrence i would disagree with you, that we shouldnt keep everything on the table. But it is a bad deal. As the plan is laid out right now. Im very happy to see that theyve actually agreed to bury some of those lines now. Which is a step in the right direction. Lets face facts. We just heard my opponent talk about tourism and how heavily the North Country relies on that for their economy. Were talking about a project thats slated to plow thrure our state, that beautiful landscape, will damage our tourism industry. But there are no guarantees on the table that we will actually get any of the power or the benefit from that project as it stands now. Im just looking and ive always said this, if im elected to congress, im going to fight for the people of New Hampshire first. If i see a deal that doesnt give the people of New Hampshire their just due, like allowing a project to go through our state without guarantees to help us where we need the help the most, adam congresswoman kuster, is mr. Lawrence right . Is it a bad deal for New Hampshire . Ms. Kuster i dont think we can say definitively at this point. I got very engaged, as did our entire bipartisan delegation, in this process. Working with the company. And working with the communitieses. People were concerned about the impact on tourism and obviously the visual impact of the power lines coming through. And the company did make it an of that project. Now were workinging our way down and we have a discussion going on about where the projects going to be and the sighting further south. But we do need to talk about energy and the high cost of energy here in New Hampshire. And i think my opponent is just taking this right off the table, without a thorough investigation. Ultimately at the end of the day, the sight Evaluation Committee here in the state that is going to make this company is, work with these communities. Because maybe thrast way to get to a place that will be acceptable if more can be buried. I dont think we should out of hand just write it off. On the Kinder Morgan project, did i look into it very closely. It crossed 17 towns in my district. In that project, trying to work with the company, they were not forthcoming. I reached the conclusion that it should not happen and they pulled the plug on josh i do want to ask, you havent yet take an Firm Position on the Northern Pass project. Are you leaning in one direction or ms. Kuster my role, im not the decider. My role is to bring people to the table, to listen to the communities, thats what ive done. Extensively. Weve attended all of the hearings. We talked frequently with the community. And ultimately trying to work with the company to get a more a project thats more if that cant happen, then i would come out in opposition. Mr. Lawrence based on all of my business experience, im not going to take anything off the table. What im saying is that i dont see enough benefit for the people of New Hampshire in this project yet. I want to guarantee that New Hampshire gets their just due and i think that its incumbent upon any of our elected officials to make sure that we support the people of New Hampshire first. Josh thank you. Josh thank you. Next question coming from the dan thank you. Lets talk about the top of the ticket here. Mr. Lawrence, if Hillary Clinton wins on tuesday and a president clinton comes to the hill with a v. A. Reform bill that includes funding for a full service v. A. Hospital in New Hampshire, will you work with her and will you stand by her as she signs it into law . Mr. Lawrence absolutely. As a veteran myself, im very well aware of the plight of many of our veterans that cant get the health care that we promised them. Literally dying in line waiting for the health care that they deserve. I could tell you one thing. Not only will i support president Hillary Clinton if shes lected, elected, to do the things we need to do to give our veteran the Health Benefits that is they deserve, you know what ill do . Ill never vote against a bill like the veterans accountability act, which my opponent unfortunately voted against right in the midst of this crisis where veterans were not getting the health a accountable. Josh congresswoman, you have the opportunity to respond if youd like. Ms. Kuster sure, its not true. You can just check my record on the floor of the house. I voted for that bill. Mr. Lawrence you voted against it in committee. Ms. Kuster in committee we were trying to get further amendment and voted for it on the floor. Thats the process that we follow. I am on the Veterans Affairs committee. I absolutely would support president clinton bringing that bill to our committee and to the congress. My father flew in world war ii and was a p. O. W. They have served us and now it is our time to serve them. Ive brought health care to the North Country, with the new clinic in littleton, and i will continue to fight for veterans, working on homeless projects in plymouth and in nashua and creating jobs and holding job fairs for veterans. Josh back dan similar question. If donald trump wins on tuesday, President Trump comes to the hill with a bill for paid family leave, will you work hip and stand with him and sign it or as he signs it . Ms. Kuster absolutely. Paid family live is leave is near and dear to my heart. This is an issue thats very personal for me. I have eight nieces. Five of them have had baby in the last year and a half and several of them had zero days of paid family leave. Which meant that they had to take a newborn infant and go back to work, either take a few two that they could stay home without being paid, but the time has come, we are the only industrialized country in the world that does not have paid family leave. We need to increase the minimum wage and we need pay equity for women, to make sure that women are paid the same as men. This is a family issue for women and men all across the state of New Hampshire. Paychecks at the end of the week, lets not leave 21 cents on the dollar on the josh stick with our panel. Next question coming from kasey. Casey congresswoman kuster, youve advocated for more support for survivers of Sexual Assault and you recently spoke out about your own experiences, which included an incident that took place while you were a College Student at dartmouth. What changes would you make to the way that colleges specifically handle, prevent, adjudicate cases of Sexual Assault . Ms. Kuster thank you. I do have legislation on that and ive been going around to my district. We have about a dozen college campuses. And its a tremendous opportunity. Let me just take a second to give a shoutout to keen state college, a Wonderful Program that theyve started there. I had the opportunity to go in the early days of the students coming back in september to see a play that they do called no zebras. Viewers will have to look that up online. Because i wont have a chance to explain it. But its about bystander intervention. Issues. Discrimination, for example. My legislation will work with the colleges for making sure that we have an a process that perpetrators do face consequences and that survivors have the resources that they need to recover. But most importantly, i want to work on prevention and thats where we need to be. Casey mr. Lawrence, in the Sexual Assault involving service members. But experts have cautioned that the actual numbers could be much higher because many incident goes unreported. Youve spoken tonight about your experience in the military. What changes would you make to the way that those cases are handled . Mr. Lawrence thats an excellent question. Being a veteran myself, i can tell you, and also being a parent of four daughters, and a husband of a wife, this is definitely a serious issue that we need to take seriously. Allegations, whether its in the military or any other organization in the country, we need to make sure that the provisions are in place not only to identify these incidents, investigate them quickly, and make sure that we protect the victims of the potential victims of these horrific crimes. The pentagon is a difficult situation because of the nature and the history of the military. They havent been integrated as they definitely could do more than theyve done to make sure that were protecting everyone that serves all the brave men and women that serve in the armed forces. Josh back to the panel. Adam, first question for mr. Lawrence. Adam extending Commuter Rail into southern New Hampshire remains a controversial issue on the state level. The prospects are better for the Northern New England rail corridor which would put a high speed rail link from boston to montreal. And could be a benefit for the New Hampshire stop on that line. With limited federal funds for these project, which one would you prioritize if elected . Boston to montreal or boston to concord . Mr. Lawrence the one thing i can tell but all rail projects having been the benefit of serving this country in the air force and living in many different places, ive seen rail projects, some of them run well and some of them not so well. But the one thing they all have in common is they require tax so before i say which one i would support, what i would say first is, in order for me to support any rail project, i would want an honest and open dialogue with the voters, so that they understand that theyre actually going to have a tax bill. Theyre going to foot the bill to subsidize this particular type of transportation. And if theyre ok with that and they understand that theres going to be a tax from now in perpetuity to keep that rail but thats only after we have that dialogue. So i would defer that to the people of the North Country. And the people in the Southern Tier of the state. Josh congresswoman kuster. Ms. Kuster ive been a very big proponent of the capital corridor coming up from lowell, lawrence, up to nashua. Hopefully to manchester. The studies are in and the definitive proof is that this will expand the economy, create executive counselor have a proposal that will not require extensive tax incentives along the way. In fact, will really benefit our state, so thats priority number one. In terms of the montreal line, we are working with the folks in collar month. I have legislation clairemont. I have legislation called preclearance. What thats about, the Bipartisan Legislation in the house d trade and for rail traffic of goods and Services Going across the border with canada, so that we dont get held up there. The people in clairemont are very excited about it. Im also working with them on the clairemont stop. Josh were running out of time. Final question before closing statements. Might be one of the more important questions we ask tonight. What would you say to a young person who is going to be voting in this election for the first time, who entered this eager to be a part of it, but may have some serious doubts with all the negativity that weve seen about the integrity of our democratic process . Ms. Kuster i would tell them how important their vote is. I cant emphasize this enough. New hampshire is right at the center of this storm. And theyve got to turn off, no offense to wm rumbings, wmur, great coverage, but turn off the ads, turn offer the phones and all the phone c is very personal. Their vote counts. When i was 18 years old the first time i voted, in 1974. I moved home from college, im the youngest of five kids. All five of us drove home and that United States senate race was a four opinion person, fourvote margin. So thats how close these races could be. Their vote is incredibly important. And the peoples government, life will go on. One or the other of these parties will win. And it will move forward and you will be left out. Josh mr. Lawrence, what do you say to young person who might be losing faith in the system . Mr. Lawrence ill start with what i tell my children that are of voting age now. This is a very important time in our history. There are a lot of serious issues, a lot of questions about what direction this country is going to go in. And i effect every young person in this country. Its absolutely vital that they show up and vote. The advice that i would give them would also say, ignore the distractions. There have been a lot of personal attacks. There have been a lot of mudslinging. This election cycle. They have no place in american politics. Ive run a hard race, focused on the issues. Focused on what i want to do in i would urge young voters to cut through the fray, ignore the distractions, ignore the personal attacks, and look at the issues and vote and decide which direction americas going to go in. Because their future depends on it. Josh we are down to our closing statements now. Mr. Lawrence is going first. Josh i apologize. Having some audio issues. Closing statements. Ms. Kuster im deferring to you. Mr. Lawrence i serve my constituency in the state house. I served my country in the air force. I was fortunate enough to graduate from the United States air force academy. And now its time for me to pay back the American People for the leadership training that they provided me. New hampshire has a long tradition of sending effective leaders to washington. My opponent is a life long lobbyist, turned politician, who has garnered most of her support from outside of our state and from washington, d. C. Two days ago nancy pelosi was here in the state campaigning for her. If you believe, like i do, that washington is broken, and the only way it can be fixed is by electing a new, effective leader, i ask for your vote on november 8. I ask for you so that i can stand up for you. The voters of New Hampshire. Because we can do better. Josh thank you very much for your closing statement. Congresswoman kuster. Ms. Kuster i was about to say, were the exception to the rule. We havent had any attacks. But, listen, every two years we have the opportunity for a job interview. Ive been in congress for four years. Im very proud of the work that ive done. Im coming before you tonight to talk about that work and how in congress, in the Veterans Affairs committee, serving farmers and timber interests in the Agriculture Committee, but most importantly, serving the people of the state of New Hampshire, creating good jobs, building infrastructure, 200 million in funding for roads and bridges and highways. Building new Community Colleges with the whole new campus in lebanon and programs in nashua. Helping support veterans and election. I ask for your support. I hope youll get out to vote on november 8. And i wish you and your family wonderful hoiles. Josh thank you very much to the candidates. Thats go to wrap up our final Granite State debate. Dont forget to vote on tulse. Thank you for everybody for participating in this process. Have a great night. Hillary clinton im Hillary Clinton and i approve this you . Seriously. Vo clear thinking. Donald trump i know more about isis than the generals do, believe me. Vo and calm judgment. Donald trump and you can tell them to go fu k themselves. Vo because all it takes is one wrong move. Donald trump audio only i would bomb the sh t out of them. Vo just one. When all three of these guys show up, sometimes, i just have to say, no way. So i appreciate it when annie kuster says no to cutting Social Security. She stood up to both parties to protect our benefits. Annies working to make sure we have a secure retirement. So i can worry about these guys instead. Thanks, annie. Im annie kuster and i approve this message. Im maggie hassan, do we keep going with a senator who repeatedly votes with the corporate special interests. Or a new senator who sides with the people of New Hampshire . My focus has always been on creating opportunity for working families making college and job training more affordable. Lowering Prescription Drug costs. And always protecting a womans right to make her own health care decisions. These are my priorities, why i approve this message. And why i respectfully ask for your vote. Hillary clinton im Hillary Clinton and i approve this message. Vo in times of crisis america depends on steady u . Seriously. Vo clear thinking. Donald trump i know more about isis than the generals do, believe me. Vo and calm judgment. Donald trump and you can tell them to go fu k themselves. Vo because all it takes is one wrong move. Donald trump audio only i would bomb the sh t out of [ both laugh ] okay, kris, i got everything in here you need to fix that drain. All right, got a pipe wrench, i got a basin wrench, some teflon tape. Now, ryans fixing it, right . Yep. And i got the plbers number in there, too. Thank you, dad. I had no idea owning a home meant you spend all of your time fixing it. Ce its all fixed well, well let you know. You know, we have been here 20 years, and your father still hasnt gotten the squirrels out of the attic. Yeah, id love to get the squirrels out of your attic. Hey. [ laughs ] honey, you can stay for dinner. Were just waiting on eve. Oh, uh, whered you have her working today . Yesterday, she was on the loading dock, mom. Yeah. What . Mike, isnt that dangerous . For eve . Are you kidding . Shes like an ant. She can lift 50 times her weight. Eves worked in just about every department by now, huh