the tears of scrutiny analysis i think is a good place for the court to look. it's not that we are saying that other forms of discrimination are ok where his race discrimination is unconstitutional. we are saying different tools need to be available, more searching inquiries need to be ite, and that's why we think gives way to the situation whereas it might not another cases. >> thank you, council. the case is submitted. >> with the supreme court back in session, we have a special webpage to help you all of the court. go to www.c-span.org and select supreme court of the top of the page. once there, you will see a list of all current justices, watch oral arguments that we have aired, and recent c-span appearances by supreme court justices at www.c-span.org. >> and nevada, republican congressman joe heck and former state attorney general catherine cortez master are on the ballot to fill the seat soon-to-be vacated by minority leader harry reid, who is retiring -- republican congressman joe heck and former state attorney masto. catherine cortez this is live coverage on c-span. live from las vegas, this is the 2016 senatorial debate. >> tonight, we are live at canyon springs high school in north las vegas for the first and only senatorial debate in nevada. good evening and welcome. in a moment, your candidates will face off. republican congressman joe heck and democratic attorney general of nevada catherine cortez masto . .ood evening this debate is being broadcast not only here on channel eight but across the state at cbs , live on c-span, snow.com asasvega , and it will also reenter on sunday. if you would like to take part in the debate or see additional information about the questions we will be asking tonight, you tag you for the hash see on your screen, which is #nvdebate. each candidate a question and then the candidates will ask each other a question. finally, we have individual questions for each candidate. each candidate will have one minute to answer and begin and 30 seconds for a response. by thee is a follow-up moderators, the candidate will be given 30 seconds to answer. a bell will ring when your time is up. in an earlier coin flip, it was determined that catherine cortez ag masto : -- catherine cortez masto would be asked the first question. by the time outgoing senator harry reid was elected to the senate, he served one term in the state assembly, two terms as the lieutenant governor, chairman of the gaming in theion, and two terms u.s. house of representatives. you are a two-term nevada attorney general, but you have never served in any legislative ranch in the state or federal government. can you explain if elected how a new junior senator would be able to maneuver through the senate halls, secure federal running, and also the influence that nevada voters have come to expect. for the: thank you question, and let me say thank you to those watching. we appreciate you hosting tonight and having the opportunity to talk with you. that's a great question. was in aey general, i unique position. i got to introduce legislation. i introduced over 40 bills during the years i was in office, and those bills was supported and passed out of our legislation with the support of democrats and republicans & by republican governor. i think that is what is missing in washington -- bipartisan problem solving. we need to focus on what is happening in our communities, how to address those issues, and how we work together to move forward and address those concerns i see every day from working families in nevada. >> thank you. congressman, you are a two-term congressman. you served one term in the nevada state senate and since you have been in congress, you have not passed a budget or comprehensive immigration reform, so the same question -- can you explain how you would be able to maneuver through the senate halls, secure that important federal funding, and also may influence nevada voters have come to expect? rep. heck: i want to offer my thanks as well to everybody sponsoring the debate and everybody here to participate. theosition gave me background and understanding of how to work the legislative process and i was successful getting legislation passed. during my three terms in congress, i have passed multiple pieces of legislation in bipartisan ways, each of which the specification important to the people of nevada. because i've had the opportunity to serve in washington, d.c., i've been able to build relationships and not just with members of the house but with members of the senate. i already have relationships with many on both sides of the in order that i have been able to pass my legislation that i have introduced, and i will be able to leverage those relationships and continue to work in the best interest of nevada's people. >> thank you both. our next question is from steve. steve: this seems to have been one big news moment after another involving the presidential candidates. polls show democrat hillary clinton narrowly leading republican donald trump. like it or not, both candidates are linked to the presidential candidate of their party. congressman, six days ago, you call for donald trump to step down from the race. he has said many offensive things over the past 15 months that probably give you pause. why only now have you withdrawn your support? rep. heck:on i made -- the decision i made last week was very personal. i have tried to live my life but not just a military code of honor but a personal code of honor. as an emergency department dr., i have taken care of far too many women who have been victims of to mystic violence or sexual assault, and i have great empathy for anyone who ever had to experience such a tragedy. my wife was the victim of domestic abuse in a prior relationship. the decision i made was an extremely personal decision. steve: thank you. , you statedasto that secretary clinton has your support because -- but the fbi director testified before congress that hillary liedon live -- live -- about e-mails she said when she was secretary of state. hillary clinton has recognized and taken responsibility for those e-mails and said she would not do it again, but there's no doubt in my mind she has the temperament, experience, and ability to lead this country as commander-in-chief, but let me talk about something congressman heck said. it is astonishing to me that for eight months, nine months, he was donald trump's biggest supporter, when donald trump was attacking p.o.w.'s, attacking gold star family's. congressman heck had no problem with donald trump the and on the button. when donald trump was making fun of the disabled, attacking mexicans, calling them rapists and criminals, and calling women names and denigrating women, which we know why he was, because he thinks he can sexually assault women, congressman heck had high hopes donald trump would be president. let's call this what it is -- congressman heck is worried about his political career. donald trump's ship is sinking, congressman heck wants to try to save his career. steve: there's the bell. i have a hunch that congressman heck -- [applause] against your count time, sir. please, give us your response. rep. heck: as i said, this was a very personal decision for me to decision,a political and i find it difficult to my opponent would support someone who the american people have deemed untrustworthy. when my opponent was asked if she would consider using a private server, she said she would not want to speculate about that. this is a woman who lied to the families of the people lost in benghazi about why they lost their lives as american patriots, because the equipment and material needed to keep them secure was not provided by the state department. >> over 50 national security of, republican security advisers think donald trump is a security risk and they are not supporting him, but you were still supporting him. again, you cannot walk away or run away from now. you do not get credit for that. you were with him for eight months. it was a desperate attempt to save your political career. steve: desperate attempt. 15 seconds. [applause] steve: that will not count against your time, either. rep. heck: likewise, my opponent continues to support someone who has been deemed untrustworthy by the american people, lied to the family members of those who died in benghazi, kept classified material on her personal server. leave: thank you both. [applause] -- steve: thank you both. [applause] have certainly a lot of enthusiasm for the issue. let's talk about an issue that is very important to our state, and that is immigration. >> you both say you are for immigration reform. both of your plans call for a secure border and a path to citizenship. we hear a lot of statements such as bring people out of the shadows and keep families together, but not a lot of specifics. please tell us at least one specific aspect of your immigration reform plan that is different from your opponent's. ag masto: first of all, thank you for the question and this should be a priority in congress. my grandfather came from mexico. he crossed the rio grande, served in our military, and became a united states citizen and brought his family to las vegas for the opportunity to succeed, work hard, make sure your kids have every opportunity . that is no different than the people in this state. there is a family rate here that i have talked to. they are here. they are fighting to ensure their kids have every opportunity, and, yes, it is about ensuring we put them on a tough but fair path to citizenship. it is bringing them out of the shadows. it is time they have the opportunity to have a job and not worry about being deported. comprehensiveg immigration reform would contribute to our economy, and we can't tell address the border security in this country, so this should be a priority, and for me, it is. as your next united states senator, this is something i would be focusing on -- [bell rings] [applause] >> how would you specifically tackle border security, since you brought it up? ag masto: that's a great question. i worked with state and federal law enforcement always concerned about the people in this state. we already know with respect to border security, we have 21st istury technology, if it jerome's, satellites, the technology we can use now can help us address the border issues. we have put funding already into the border for bodies and resources, and we want to continue to do so, but at the end of the day, let's not get caught up in the specifics of border security where my opponent wants to go -- [bell rings] ag masto: let me just say, it is about passing comprehensive immigration reform and not arresting dreamers when they show up to your office asking to move forward. >> congressman, the same question to you. [applause] you will get your time. give us one specific aspect of your immigration reform plan that is different am your opponent's. my maternalikewise, grandparents immigrated here from italy to give their family a better life. not for them taking that risk, i would not have the opportunities that i have here today. i cannot say what is different on my opponent because she has not ever said what her strategy would be for comprehensive immigration reform. however, i would they one of the things we must do is addressed our legal immigration system. if we do not fix our legal system, we will continue to have the problems we face today. when someone does go through the legal channels and becomes a or even getsident citizenship, they should not have to wait 10 to 12 years in order to bring their spouse or family over. let's talk about a robust guestworker program that meets unmet demands in the united states while not disenfranchising unemployed americans. both unskilled and high-tech, we have critical needs. let's work, as i did, in drafting legislation with many members who are probably in the audience tonight to come up with ways for dream is to get a path to citizenship. [bell rings] [applause] ag masto: congressman heck, you know where we differ. i support the bipartisan version that passed out of the senate and you opposed it. there's a clear distinction between the two of us. when you talk about passing immigration reform and helping people, and you do not sign on to sue the president. you have an opportunity to move this issue forward in the house youmove forward on it, all had to do was sign a petition, and you refused to even lift a pen to sign that. rep. heck: the comprehensive bill that came out of the senate never came up for vote in the house. we need to work toward comprehensive immigration reform. i do not support a 2000-page bill. i support addressing each piece of immigration reform individually. >> deportation as well? rep. heck: i've never talked about deportation. i believe when we talk about the undocumented outside dreamers, that those are have a criminal past should be deported, however those -- [bell rings] rep. heck: vendors of the undocumented community without records of violent crimes should be given a path to citizenship. >> of want to remind the audience we appreciate your enthusiasm, but this is our one and only chance to talk to these candidates, and if you continue to interrupt, that goes against their time. steve: our next question comes from colleen jeffrey, who wrote in via facebook asking if you would support a government shutdown. back in 2013, there was a government shutdown. here is a look at some of the consequent is. federal workers who live and work at a nevada national security site were furloughed. some of our top tourist estimations were closed. there was also the threat of ,topping benefits programs which governor sandoval called "catastrophic." we're going to do something different. i want you to raise your hand if as a senator, you would commit to never shutting down the federal government, through inaction or action. congressman has already done it. i don't know why he is raising his hand. rep. heck: there was never a vote to shut down the government. seed: we will come to you in a second. --gressman heck, you voted back in 2013, there was a dispute over the affordable care act, and the government almost was shut down or actually, was shut down for 16 days. is she right? there was never a vote to shut down the government, and a voted for every piece of legislation to open the government backed up and voted to a guard pay and benefits for military members. there was never a vote to shut down the government. steve: this will be a 32nd -- 30-secondw-up -- follow-up. there is a pathway by which when there is a government slowdown that certain nonessential services are curtailed. again, there was never a vote to shut down the government. i voted for every piece of legislation to openly government backed up and voted to safeguard those whose benefits were in jeopardy -- ismasto: listen to what he saying. he is trying to dance around the subject. he supported the government shutdown and continue to support it voting 16 times for the sequestration. he cannot run from his record. rep. heck: sequestration had nothing to do with government shutdown. two separate items. ag masto: it is a typical washington politician trying to dance around the problem. we need people that are problem solvers that are working together to make sure we are impacting lives and doing a better job of helping working families in this country and state. i get around the state and talk to them, but we have the worst foreclosure crisis we have ever seen. i fought not only on the national mortgage settlement, but seven or eight other banks and financial institutions because when people are suffering in your state, you fight for them and ensure you are doing everything. because of that, we got over $1.9 million in relief to homeowners here. there is a homeowner in the audience now. we helped save her home -- talk aboute going to the housing issue a little bit later. [applause] on, let'shts, moving take another question. >> on the ballot in november, a question of all gun sales being subjected to a background check by a third party. we commissioned a poll and found that nevadans support the measure by 51% and 38% oppose. do you support? , and will you support universal background checks on a national level? oneasto: i support question . my husband is a retired secret service agent. i was born and raised in nevada and my father and uncles and cousins all our hunches, but you now what we have in common? we are responsible gun owners. raised inorn and nevada and my father and uncles and cousins all are hunters. it requires us at a federal level to address these issues, and one of the commonsense things we could have done is made sure we passed a law to make sure terrorists are no-fly lists cannot buy a gun in this country, but congressman heck -- terrorists are no-fly list cannot buy a gun in this country, but congressman heck opposed that. he would not even vote for that. >> congressman, same question to you. rep. heck: i do not support question one because i feel it does not really address the problem that we face. the issue is not a legal gun owners. the issue is that the records necessary to run background checks are not in the background why isystem, and that's supported legislation that provided additional resources to the states, to get the records necessary into the system to actually run an adequate background check. in addition, we need to prosecute those who go to a gun store and try to purchase a gun when they are -- they know they are not able to do so. we prosecute very few of them. likewise, we need to stiffen penalties on the third person or strawman buyer, the individual who is purchasing a gun to give to someone they know is not able to hold a gun. then we need to address the mental health issue. if you look at the tragic mess shootings that have occurred in all decade, they were committed by legally purchased guns by individuals who underwent a background check. what we are doing is putting a band-aid on the issue without addressing the root cause. it's really talk about the mental health issues in this state and this country to provide the resources to take care of those individuals. [l rings] [applause] >> congressman, thank you. even thoughosition polls show 51% support the measure? ag masto: -- rep. heck: it is my decision. it would criminalize people for living a gun to a person at an established gun mage, but there is no definition of an established gun range. very ambiguous and would criminalize otherwise legal activity. again, a typical washington politician trying to come up with a because i let me tell you, we are already addressing straw buyers and enforcing the law and arresting individuals. what we need is more people working together to reduce the gun violence, and expanding the background checks, closing the gun show loophole -- i don't think so but it should be able to buy a gun over the internet, but congressman heck does. that's the difference here. we need people working on commonsense solutions to get things done in this country. and, yes, we have a mental health issue we should address. absolutely, but that requires people in washington to continue to run the services we need for mental health in this country. congressman heck votes with the ryan budget and they cut services for treatment for mental health. he is voting with his tea party and the right wing nine times out of 10 when he is in washington. >> 15 seconds to respond, congressman. [applause] rep. heck: i had taken a proactive approach trying to address the real problems associated with gun violence, working with democrats to increase resources for the background check system, making and we increase penalties prosecute those who illegally purchase firearms. we passed legislation out of the house of representatives to provide services necessary as well as the competence of addiction and recovery act to provide services to those who have substance abuse problems. those are the issues we need to address most urgently if we truly want to decrease the propensity for gun violence in this country. as we seen, the acts that have occurred were done by those who purchased guns legally. [bell rings] [applause] tomasto: now is the time pass question one and address the background check issue, mixer individuals cannot buy guns on the internet. this one is astounding to me. you must pass a law at the federal level to ensure that terrorists are no watchlist or no-fly lists cannot buy weapons in the country. the terrorist no-fly list is a political ploy put up by the other side in order to score points. there's only about 1000 u.s. persons on that list. even the american liberties because against it there's no due process. we know many people on the list are on there was no good reason. in addition, the department of investigation does not want that to happen because of preventive and from initiating investigations on people who might be on the list. >> thank you. [applause] >> congressman heck, it sounds like you have your washington republican talking points down on that issue. >> we are moving on to another topic because we had a lot of questions. we will give you plenty of time to apply at the end of the program. i appreciate your enthusiasm, but your taking time away. this is a question that comes rahm mike evans via facebook. mike evans via facebook. he asked -- we're going to dig a little deeper into this question. this is a multipart question. bear with us. the question will appear on the monitor in front of you. we are looking at a dollar figure here. we will give you the full minute to respond to the answer. the first question is going to ms. cortez masto. at what income level do you consider a family to be middle-class? just a dollar figure. ag masto: the median income for people in the state of nevada is $52,000 a year. >> based on that, do you support raising taxes on top wage earners, and at what income with that oh ag masto: let's talk about that. here's the challenge we have in this country -- we have working families that we know that paycheck does not go as far, and that of giving them tax breaks, which i have talked about, giving thousand dollars tax breaks to working families so they can keep more of their hard-earned money, and you know how we pay for it yet it sure we're not giving tax breaks to big corporations shipping jobs overseas. we take away the unnecessary subsidies to big oil, and we passed something like the buffet rule to ensure millionaires and billionaires are not at lower tax rate than of administrative assistance, but we need people in washington who are looking out for working families, not those big corporations. congressman heck is working for the big corporations. all of his votes in congress have then to support big corporations, unnecessary subsidies for big oil, and he is not looking out or working families. cliques can we get a number from you? is actuallyinton proposing raising taxes on 250 thousand dollars or more. is that a bigger you are comfortable with? ag masto: i think that is something we need to look at in this country, how we ensure we are bringing families out poverty. if you are making minimum wage making date, you are $15,000 -- >> is there a number you have in mind? ag masto: no, and that is something we need to address in this country. if that pulls people out of poverty and does a better job or working families in nevada and pulls people out of poverty, i would absolutely like to look at it. >> perhaps congressman heck has a number in mind. we have the question on the monitor so you can all along. at what income level would you consider a family to be middle-class? rep. heck: that is geographically dependent. the median in nevada is $50,000 year, but in other areas around the country, middle-class is much higher. a member from new york became quite perturbed when it was mentioned that $110,000 would be considered middle-class for his constituents in new york city. >> but you are right, it is 52,000 in nevada. let talk about what it would be for top wage earners and what income that at for you and would you consider taxing those people? work onk: we need to reforming our tax code in general, negatively so everybody can feel at the taxes on one sheet of april. nobody should get away without paying anything, if you are an individual or big corporation. everybody should be paying something into the treasury to support that man or woman who was wearing a you, picking up a weapon and standing to keep our liberties and freedoms safe. >> mr. trump is proposing across-the-board tax relief for everybody. rep. heck: i think we need to make a fairer, flatter tax system that lowers rates especially for the middle class. have aneither of you hard figure. last 30 seconds on this topic. ag masto: it's difficult. he does not answer the question and dances around it. i am absolutely willing to ask for hillary clinton's proposal, but here's my concern -- i know he is concerned about people in new york, but i am concerned about people here in nevada. i want to make sure that we are -- [applause] pulling families out of poverty. do i have a your for you right now yahoo! no, but i am absolutely willing to explore and to make sure we are fighting for families in nevada. i find it a critical that i did not answer the question which did not give a number as well. [applause] rep. heck: the fact is we do everything possible to make our tax code fairer, flatter, easier and lowering tax rates for all americans to spur economic growth, create better paying jobs, and lift the ball out of poverty. >> a lot of work to do in, it sounds like. let's move on to our next question. >> many have questioned chief ontice john roberts' ruling obamacare. it caught many people off guard that a conservative justice ruled in favor. should it be a litmus test for judicial confirmations, and if not, what is your litmus test for a supreme court justice? ap. heck: i do not have litmus test on any given issue for a supreme court nominee. i want to look at their history during their time on the bench. i would prefer to support somebody who will interpret the constitution as written, uphold the constitution and our freedoms and liberties and not attempt to legislate or rewrite the constitution on the bench in order to fulfill some political agenda. >> are you saying you do not have a specific criteria for a supreme court justice? have no specific individual litmus test. i will judge them on their history on the bench. listen, there are characteristics and individuals that i like and admire, like justice sotomayor or an justice but for me, i'm looking for some who has an understanding of the rule of law, can live a lot rarely and equitably, and also, we need a more diverse bench, right we need to ensure we are putting justices there that have real world application because we know it impacts people every day in their lives. let me just say it is astonishing to me congressman heck does not say he has a litmus test when he is on record and the type of justice he is looking for is one like justice scalia. >> do you have a response to that? is no response. i can point out specific justices, just like she did. we all had justices we believe represent our views. that is not a litmus test. it is a individual personality. ag masto: but it is, because of your looking at, like justice scalia, who we know is very conservative and would overturn roe v wade, that is a concern for many people across this country -- rep. heck: no, just this really is -- [applause] rep. heck: justice scalia of health original. , which is my primary doctrine -- justice scalia upheld original theory. you to the audience for applauding my next question, which is about the a portable care act. according to the health and human services department, more than 73,000 people in nevada are butlled in obamacare, premiums here and across the country are skyrocketing. in some states, it is going up by more than 50%. the issue has republicans and democrats calling for changes, in looting former president clinton. president clinton: you had this crazy system were suddenly, 25,000 people help health care and suddenly, people wind up with their premiums doubled their coverage cut in half. it is the craziest thing in the world. steve: just this week, one of the more liberal governors in the country said -- americans say they want to keep three provisions -- three key provisions in the act -- so, ms. cortez masto, to you, where would you start to fixed skyrocketing cost premiums? ag masto: it is a great question. we know governor sandoval created the exchange in nevada, expanded medicaid so we have more people that have insurance in this state, and, listen, i know being around and talking to people about this very issue, frustration, rightfully so, by nevadans, and we can do more, but it starts with a reform-minded approach, working together to keep what works, what you just talked about, steve, and axing what does not, like repealing and addressing the cadillac tax and the high premiums we see, but that is what we need to start, a reform-minded approach. my opponent was to repeal it. we do not need to go through another divisive fight over health care industry. a comment 300,000 nevadans will no longer have health insurance. when -- back to the day is being a woman considered a pre-existing condition? he would open up the doughnut hole for medicare part d for seniors who need that insurance. this is an issue where we need bipartisan problem solvers. heck -- ngressman [applause] steve: congressman heck, you have voted to repeal the of double act, but assuming it stays in place, what ideas do you have to fix the high cost of premiums you have voted to repeal the affordable care act. rep. heck: my position is to repeal, repair, and replace the most egregious portions of the law that have resulted in actually less access to health care. and people may have received insurance, but that does not mean you get access to health care, and that is the critical issue. people who have bought policies on exchanges, not knowing it had a $5,000 deductible, when they went to use it on the first time, we all agree we want to keep the provisions in the law. nobody should be dropped the day after they get sick or be nonrenewed because the insurance company think they are too old or too much of a risk. we need to get away from the mandates and penalties and is the device and provide increased competition. instead of telling somebody to buy a policy approved but a government where we will tax you, we should give people a tax credit to buy the policy that works for them and their families with the coverage they need and allow them to use health savings accounts, something the affordable care act took away, and we need to put 700 million dollars back into medicare that the affordable care act took out. [applause] ag masto: listen to what he is saying. he is saying, "we will repeal the affordable care act. we're going to make sure we have a process-centered approach for health insurance companies and doctors. we're not talking about preventative care anymore. premiums are going to skyrocket under his plan. that is the difference here. again, he is a typical washington politician. he likes to define the issues, but he does not come up with real solutions to the people that i see every a that are struggling. listen -- i don't think that if you are living in this country, they you should die because you cannot afford health care. i don't think you should -- let me finish because this is such an important issue. i don't think that you should, unfortunately, though bankrupt because you cannot afford your medical bill -- go bankrupt because you cannot afford your medical bill. steve: let's give congressman heck a chance to respond. you still want to repeal the affordable care act? rep. heck: i want to replace the pieces that do not work with pieces that make sense. act was pushed through. my opponent is harry potter handpicked candidate. no difference in how she was up for this law, but the fact is while there were republican options and ideas, they were not even given the opportunity to be offered. there are ways we can lower costs, and more importantly, actually increase access to health care. at the end of the day, it does not take a difference if you have an insurance card if you cannot see a health professional. [applause] steve: real quick, 15 seconds. ag masto: it still seems more of the same. he continues to talk about how others forced this down. many nevadans have insurance now, but he does not talk about specific portions he wants to repeal. why do we need to repeal it? let's keep it where it is and improve what does not work? rep. heck: you did not hear me. i thought i would repeal the mandates and penalties, and i would rather incentivized someone with a tax credit to go by the policy that works for them and their families and have the coverage that they need and want. [applause] ag masto: you repeal the mandate and you will give higher profits to the insurance companies, there's no doubt about it. >> i think our audience will really like this portion of the debate. a reminder one last time, please hold your applause. we really want to hear from our candidate. in this portion of the debate, we will last -- we will allow candidates to ask each other questions. you will have 20 seconds to ask the questions, a minute to respond and 30 seconds to the other for rebuttal. joe heck, you may ask the first question of your opponent. what if anything should china what ifp. heck: anything should the united states due to combat china has expansion -- china's expansion? ag masto: we need to make sure we have a president that will hold china accountable. our relationship with china is cap located. there are some areas we work together, and there's other areas where we compete, and we know with trade alone loan, they put the united states at a disadvantage with their currency manipulation and what they are doing in the south china sea, but because of it, we need to ensure we have a commander-in-chief who has a steady hand and who understands those complexities and can hold china accountable. .hat is not donald trump donald trump is a national security risk. we have seen it in the security advisers for not supporting him. securityss, homeland adviser michael chertoff is voting for hillary clinton, and he is a republican voted and under donald bush. toastounds me you continue support donald trump when you know he is a national security risk and has no business being commander-in-chief. rep. heck: as president obama has rebalance the asia-pacific, critical issue and communities right here in southern nevada, we have to make sure there is freedom of navigation. of $5 trillion, roughly 30% of global trade passes through the china seas, and if we do not have the ability to utilize that maritime passage, we will lose good-paying jobs right here in nevada. the large filipino and vietnamese populations right here in southern nevada are worried about the impact on their families in the region. >> 15 seconds to button this up. he sounds good, but at the end of the day, he is supporting donald trump, and to me, that is a security risk. that is not somebody who is going to be safe on china. listen, donald trump thinks we should go to war with china because we think unpredictability. this is someone that congressman heck supports. rep. heck: [inaudible] [applause] >> let's give you a chance now ,o ask -- ms. cortez masto let's give you the opportunity to ask congressman heck a question. ag masto: congressman heck, you supported the government shutdown, and while the government was shut down, federal employees were required to work without pay. during that time, over 200 congressmen donated their salaries to charity because they wanted to support those federal employees. you did not. how did you feel cashing your paycheck when air traffic controllers and law enforcement did not have enough money and were struggling to pay their bills? [applause] first, again, there was a no vote to shut down the government, and after the government reopened, congress passed legislation to provide everyone who lost pay while they were full load -- while they were furloughed their full pay and benefits, so we took care of the issue after the fact. ag masto: let me address this because here is a true leader, and here is what you should have done. you should have donated to charity. when i was attorney general for eight years, the legislature started cutting the salary of my employees and state employees by 6%, and there were mandatory furloughs. i return and gave back $44,000 of my salary so i could dent in the shoes of my employees and take the same 6% cut that they took. that's leadership. [applause] >> your response? rep. heck: donating money to charity would not have paid the bills for those who were on furlough, which is why we provide legislation to what they lost, so that they could pay bills. [applause] >> we want to give each of you a chance to sort of smile tonight and cause, so before we moved to the individual questions, one more question for both of you. this is a little bit more personal to get our vote is a chance to know who you are behind the political persona. we wanted to know at what moment did you know that your husband, seen here on the screen, was the person you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. ag masto: oh, that's easy, on our first date. he was working as a secret service agent. we met thanks to president bill clinton, who was here at the time, and he asked me out on a , and then we negotiated for lunch. we went out, and we have been together 19 years ever sense. [applause] samengressman heck, the question for you. i understand you and lisa have been married nearly 21 years now if my math is correct. at what moment did you realize she was the lovely woman you want to spend the rest of your life with? rep. heck: the moment i get her at a hospital christmas party. i knew it was fate. we started talking about where we were from. we were both from pennsylvania at the time. we both went to the same college at the same time, hung out in the same places and never met. we met here in vegas roughly eight years later. it was fate. [applause] >> thanks for sharing that. in this portion of the debate, we are going to question the candidates individually. each candidate will have one minute left for the question. panelists may ask a 32nd follow-up question. there will be a response from the other candidate. , the firstman heck question is for you. members of your campaign and your son have been in the news. a buzzfeed story highlighted disturbing comments on your -- reddit it --eddir account. understand you did not commit these actions yourself, many voters told us they feel that reflects on your character. what do you say to minority voters who are thinking about voting for you but are still concerned about these comments? rep. heck: certainly the former staff members -- and they are former staff members -- and the state party person does not work for me, so i cannot control or talk about what they did as private citizens. the actions of my son, we have apologized and so has he. anybody who has had teenagers knows that as hard as you try to raise your children to be the best they can be, it is not an easy task, so i thank you for your concern about my family, but we need to move on from this issue, and my son has moved on from this issue and hope elite will become a better person because of it. >> it might become for voters to have someone so close to you have those type of disparaging would you sayat to assuage them? rep. heck: again, it is not something he ever heard in my household. he is seeking help for an issue and will become a better person because of it. the key thing is you love your children, stand beside them, support them. it's not always possible to have them turn out the best as hard as you try, but you stand behind them and do not give up. >> thank you. [applause] >> next question comes from steve. crisis likelysing impacted more nevadans than probably any other issues. don't dispute that banks and mortgage companies were part of creating the problem. you referred to the county coroner's office as a crime scene because of the numbers of fraudulent documents that had been filed there. my question is why did no one go to jail for these crimes? it's a greathink question, and that is a frustration that not only did i have put me in my colleagues, attorneys general across the when we're talking to the federal government. there should have been criminal action at the federal level. we did everything we could at the state level. not only the national mortgage overement, but there were nine litigations i pursued as attorney general. again, big banks and financial is titian's and i were able to bring over $9 million of relief to homeowners in the state because we know people were struggling and we were ground zero for the foreclosure crisis. we took some of that money and created a program which still exists in the attorney general's office to help homeowners for free. they can sit down with a hud-certified housing counselor and get legal aid for free to save their homes. that's what we did in nevada and we took every action both civil and criminal to hold people accountable without a state laws, but the federal law at the federal level, believe me, i colleagues and i across the country had discussions with the gog. steve: 30 seconds to respond, you say you did everything you could civilly and criminally, but nobody went to jail over this. are you concerned people in those positions they feel they can pay a fine and sort of by their way out of personal accountability in doing things like this? is a greato, it question. we have seen what happens when they enter into agreements at the federal level that they just had to pay a fine, and now that is their cost of doing business. in the state of nevada, we brought criminal action. not only did we pursue individuals here, listen, you are not going to win every case, but it was important that we took that action to let people know they will be held accountable if they are going to violate the laws of the state, that i would come after them. steve: with her other conditions with nobody going to jail? ag masto: not and criminal actions we had. there were some that did, but not in the big banks. we did not have the teeth to pursue them at the federal level, so that the department of justice would go after them. i did everything i could with our state laws here. is --ause our audience has been so polite, we had time for one at your question. the united states is currently accepting refugees from the least and countries. this year, we are on pace to have a record 85,000 refugees enter this country. the pew research center estimates half of them are muslim. patricia jeffries had this to say to us on our facebook page -- "stop the refugees coming into our state and city." congressman heck, this question is for you. are you comfortable with the current process being used by 'se fbi to that -- to vet refugees or how would you change the process? rep. heck: i will get to that, but when my opponent holds himself out to be the champion of the victims of the housing crisis, she said that the cake was already baked with a settlement was done. in addition, the $2000 or $3000 each person may have received was probably enough to help them pay for the movers as they lost their homes. as for the refugee crisis, the issue is simple. we heard from the directives of the fbi, cia, and national intelligence that they did not have the ability to adequately vet individuals coming from a current region of conflict, and we should not let anybody in here in less you know they are not going to do us harm. there are other ways we can handle this. through the united nations, we should set of safe havens within the region and provide humanitarian support, keeping closer to their country of origin so that when the conflict is over, they can return to their homes. the united states is the beacon on the hill. we have accepted many people for many years, for decades, for centuries that were fleeing persecution, but we have to make sure the first and foremost responsibility to the federal government is to keep this nation safe. [applause] >> thank you. youcortez masto, are comfortable with the current process being used by the fbi to vet these refugees, and if not, are there changes you have in mind? ag masto: let me address the cake is baked because this is again a smear tactic by my opponent and his allies, who we all know have been fact checked independently as false. i was not part of the initial settlement for the agreement in the executive committee, and i was frustrated that nevadans were not at the table when the settlement came out. the's when i talked about cake was baked but that i would continue to fight to improve the settlement, and i did. that's why the attorney general from washington, who is a republican, who was on the executive committee came out and supported me and basically is on record saying i improved that settlement for the state of nevada and across the country. a did that working in bipartisan way, so let's address the refugees. listen, i, like everyone else -- i think we need a strong, thorough vetting process in this country. i've been working with law enforcement, with the fbi, with homeland security. at the same time, we know many of the refugees, particularly coming from syria, our women and children who are being or their lives from isis -- fleeing for their lives from isis. we can still have a strong vetting process. i amtorney general, concerned about the security of people in this state and work with state and local and federal law enforcement and -- [bell rings] ag masto: let me finish because this is a concern that i have. >> am afraid you used your time earlier to talk about the housing crisis. rep. heck: the primary role of the federal government is to keep this nation safe. we heard from the directors of the security organization of this nation that the apparatus was not adequate for our security. when you to make sure that when the conflict is over they can return to their country of origin. ag masto: if congressman heck wanted to keep this country safe, he would not have introduced an act that had national security concerns that we can the tools that national security needs to combat terrorism, the homeland security department, the state department, and even some of his own republican colleagues objected to the security concerns in his bill, and you know what he did? he ignored them. he was arrogant and on flexing -- unflexing. rep. heck: it was an act to increase tourism, which is the lifeblood of nevada and we did so by mandating a biometric increasing security safeguards for those coming here and trying to increase the economic and if it brought by international travel and tourism. >> thank you both -- [applause] get thatwe had time to question in. for the last part of the debate, each candidate will have 30 seconds to make their closing statement. congressman heck, you get to go first. rep. heck: thank you very much for everyone who made this debate possible. our state and country face critical challenges -- sluggish economic recovery, threat to our international -- threats to our national security from home and abroad, and an education system that is failing to many nevada students. as a business owner, soldier, dr., father, i want to use my real world experience to address the most important issues on behalf of all nevadans, so i humbly ask you for your vote or the u.s. senate. thank you and good night. -- your vote for the u.s. senate. thank you and good night. [applause] >> we're not done yet. we would like to hear from ms. cortez masto. much.to: thank you so i was born and raised in the state and honored to be the attorney general for eight years. during that time, i had the opportunity to sit down and hear the stories from some of the most vulnerable members of our community, from women and children who were sexually exploited to families of seniors who were defrauded by banks to victims of domestic violence, they made it my mission to ensure i was fighting for every single one of them because we cannot tolerate leaving anyone behind, and that means continuing to fight in washington. [bell rings] will continue to fight on behalf of families in washington. that's why i'm asking for your vote for the u.s. senate. [applause] >> thank you. thank you for your patience, and do not forget to vote early. it starts on october 22, and the general election is november 8. >> throughout the debate, we put a lot of issues we spoke about on social media. you can look for that by using # nvdebate. one-hourwill have our debate special with reaction from experts, undecided voters, and viewers. audience, now you can apply. [applause] -- applaud. [applause] debates between candidates for utah's senate race ended wisconsin where senator ron johnson faces a challenge from former senator russ feingold. later, supreme court oral argument in a case about racial bias in jury deliberations. >> c-span's "washington journal," live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up saturday, a campaign reporter will talk about campaign 2016 and the growing divide in the republican party over donald trump. then matt lauer, executive director of the sentencing project, will discuss the voting rights of felons. and "new york times" correspondent michael schmidt will discuss the role of the united states in yemen as the u.s. military fires missiles inside the country on sites operated by rebels. earlier in the week, rebels in yemen launched failed missiles on two u.s. naval ships in the region. to watch "washington journal," live on c-span saturday morning. join the discussion. c-span's live coverage of the third debate between hillary clinton and donald trump. our live debate preview starts at 7:30 p.m. eastern. the briefing for the debate studio audience is at 8:30 p.m. eastern and the 90-minute debate is at 9:00 p.m. eastern. stay with us following the debate for viewer reaction including your calls, tweet, and facebook posts. and watch the debate live or on-demand using your desktop, phone, or tablet at www.c-span.org. listen on your phone with the .ree c-span radio app >> in utah's senate race, incumbent mike lee faces a senate race, incumbent michael he is facing a from democrat misty snow. she's the first transgender face election in a senate race. >> from the campus of brigham young university, the utah debate commission welcomes you to the utah senate candidate debate. [applause]

Related Keywords

Vietnam , Republic Of , Mexico , New York , United States , Nevada , Philippines , Washington , China , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Syria , Yemen , South China Sea , Brunei General , Brunei , Utah , Italy , Americans , Filipino , Mexicans , Nevadans , Vietnamese , American , Matt Lauer , Catherine Cortez Masto , Rahm Mike Evans , Mike Evans , Mike Lee , Roe V Wade , Cortez Masto , Colleen Jeffrey , Ron Johnson , Russ Feingold , Harry Reid , Catherine Cortez , Michael Chertoff , Donald Bush , Las Vegas , Harry Potter , John Robert , Hillary Clinton , Michael Schmidt , Patricia Jeffries ,