Iowa Press Debate: U.S. Senate Republican Primary
Debate
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Lynch: Senator Ernst, you bill yourself as a mother, soldier, conservative. Which of those qualities is the most important for a U.S. Senator? And why no mention of your legislative service?
Ernst: Well, I would say that as a conservative that does tie in my legislative, my service to the state of Iowa. I think all of those are very important and they all tie together because as a mother I want to make sure that we are protecting this country and its future. We want to leave a great legacy for our children. And as a soldier I think we do have to have a strong national defense. When the United States is strong, everyone is safer. And then as a conservative I bring in my legislative experience there. I do serve as an assistant republican leader in the Iowa Senate. And we talk about inheriting fiscal messes. Four years ago Iowa was in a fiscal mess and that is when I was elected to serve in the Iowa State Senate and in the past four years we have turned the state around. We were spending about $1.07 for every dollar of revenue the state brought in. Now we're about down to 98, 99 cents for every $1.00 of revenue. So we are doing very, very good in the state. I've had to make those difficult choices and cuts. But Iowa has turned around. So we did inherit a fiscal mess, we're on the right track.
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Obradovich: So, does it matter that you haven't created jobs?
Ernst: I don't think it does. But we'll get back to that in a second. I would like to make a point. I am one of a number of military folks that reside here in Iowa and as a member of the military, I've worn the uniform for over 20 years, and I've worn that uniform to protect the very freedoms and liberties which have made it possible for the private sector to grow here in the United States. So all of us serve in different ways whether it's a lieutenant colonel or someone serving on the front lines of Operation Iraqi Freedom, protecting those freedoms or whether they're serving as a businessman in the private sector helping out their employees here in the state. But also as an Iowa State Senator I have actually worked in government working to create a climate that allows our private sector to grow.
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Ernst: I do agree with that. I think we, it is a good thing to have a minimum wage, it is a great safety net for those that need it. However, we do need better paying jobs and I do agree with the skill gap and we need to have skilled labor, no matter what the state is. But community colleges, I believe that is the state's function is working with those community colleges and making sure that we have the skilled labor force.
Borg: But you avoided, to the best of my knowledge you avoided saying whether or not to raise the current --
Ernst: I would not raise the current one. I do believe that we have a number of people that will start in those introductory level jobs and hopefully then progress out of those jobs into better paying jobs as their skills increase.
Obradovich: Senator Ernst, would you get rid of the federal income tax if you could?
Ernst: I would love to see that at some point. It will take a lot of cooperation in order to get there. But I think we need to look at any tax reform --
Obradovich: How do you fund the federal government then if you were to get rid of the income tax?
Ernst: Well, again, we would have to look at that. But I think if we get to a point where we are making our taxes fairer, flatter or simpler it works much better for any American family or small business.
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Ernst: I do believe that we can make the cuts necessary within our federal government to find a way to fund our roads and infrastructure. We have already talked about closing the door to the IRS. I think that would be a wonderful start. Let's close the door, let's scrap the tax code and, again, let's find something that is fairer, flatter and simpler. But then there's other departments that we could be looking at also and I've talked about these before. But closing the doors to the Department of Education at the federal level and not just because it would save taxpayer dollars but because I do believe that our children are better educated when it's coming from the state and the localities. I do believe that we should do that. Another one, excuse me, Dean --
Borg: No, that's fine. Go ahead.
Ernst: Okay. Another area that we need to look at is the Environmental Protection Agency. When we talk about the rules and regulations that are burdening business owners, whether it is in ag, whether it is in industry here in the state of Iowa, let's shut down the federal EPA and focus on those issues here in the state where the state knows best how to protect resources.
Borg: Mr. Jacobs, close the Department of Education and the Department of Energy was it?
Ernst: No, the EPA.
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Ernst: I would agree with Mr. Schaben in that we are headed in the right direction. I don't believe I would vote for it. But we are headed in the right direction. And at least the House has offered up a budget, which we have not seen for years coming from the other side.
Borg: You said you wouldn't vote for it. What's the problem?
Ernst: No, I think we have to get there faster. I agree with Scott on that. We have to get there faster. We are saving $5 trillion in spending over the course of a number of years. We are eliminating funding for Obamacare, which I think all of us agree is something that needs to be done. And we're also getting rid of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, pushing that back to the private sector. So there's a number of things that are good.
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Obradovich: So that's a no on raising retirement age?
Whitaker: I don't think so.
Ernst: I think we have to keep the promises that have been made to our seniors but we do have to change the way we do business with our younger workers or those that are just entering the workforce. And I agree, we do have to look at some sort of a personal savings account. But the bottom line is that those savings accounts should not be and should be established so that federal bureaucrats should not be able to raid those savings accounts.
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Ernst: You bet, Dean. My record is a conservative record, a record of success and one that I would take up against Bruce Braley's any day of the week. And let's talk about the successes that we've had here in Iowa because, again, we have lowered what we spend as for the dollar that we bring in, in revenue. Like I said, $1.07 of spending for every dollar of revenue. Doesn't that sound like the federal government and Bruce Braley?
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Ernst: Going back, going back to the farm bill though, I am philosophically opposed to taxpayer subsidies and that is all throughout any sector that is out there.
Henderson: So you oppose the crop subsidies?
Ernst: But, I would say, that we do have to protect our agricultural economy here in Iowa. So knowing that, if we are to get rid of any subsidy that's out there it has to be done across-the-board in every sector and at the same time. We are not willing to risk the ag economy here in Iowa for maybe the sugar crop in Florida. So we do have to make those tough decisions. But the farm bill was not all that it was cracked up to be. So much of that, very little actually applies to agriculture. The brunt of that bill is made up of pork, which we need to cut.
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Lynch: Senator Ernst, what do you do after you repeal Obamacare?
Ernst: Well, James, I think there's a number of things that we do need to do and we do have to remember that maybe 8 million people have signed up, how many of them have paid and are actually covered by the Affordable Care Act, or as I like to call it, Bruce Braley's Obamacare? We don't know that but we do know that there are a number of Iowans that had insurance before the Affordable Care Act and because their policies didn't meet those federal requirements they were kicked off of those insurance plans that were perfectly acceptable to them before the Affordable Care Act. And so instead of addressing the issue of a few, we have made a problem for many. But there are some things that we can do and I have talked about these before. But insurance portability, allowing employees to take a product from one employer to another, allowing small businesses to gather together and self-insure, we allow that with larger employers. We should also allow tax rebates for those that privately purchase insurance.
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Ernst: Yes, Kathie, I wanted to jump back. Mr. Clovis brought up the Tort reform, encouraged Tort reform and there is a lot of lawsuit abuse out there. And I want to bring up the fact that Mr. Bruce Braley, Congressman Bruce Braley, was just caught saying that he has opposed and fought against Tort reform for over 30 years of his life. And I think that's something that we all agree here is something that we need to encourage is Tort reform. We shouldn't be fighting against it --
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Borg: Ms. Ernst, everybody else has said, secure the border. I'm wondering if you'd use the National Guard to do that?
Ernst: Well, I think there's a number of ways that we could secure the border and perhaps the National Guard is one. But we are not a border state so that's not something that I will encourage Iowans to do at this point. But I do believe that we have to secure the borders whether it is our southern border, northern border, we don't talk about that often but we do have to secure the border. And I would support guest worker programs and making sure that we know where those guest workers are. A large percentage of those that are here illegally came here legally but have overstayed whether it is their visas or the passes into the United States. So I do not support blanket amnesty but I do believe that we have to start with securing the borders and then let's enforce the laws that we have on the books right now and then see where we go from there.
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Obradovich: Since you're running for Senate, should the federal government take a step back from marijuana regulation and allow states to do things like this without the potential for federal intervention?
Ernst: Well, I do think the states need to regulate this. I did vote in support of this. It is cannabis oil that is being used. And I do need to explain to people that it is not medical marijuana. It is an oil that is derived from marijuana but it has a THC level that is so very low you could utilize it all day and never get high. So the way it has been compared is like an O'Doul's is to beer, you could drink a lot of it but it's not going to get you anywhere. However, it has been shown to curb epileptic seizures in children and adults and that is a very narrowly limited bill which is why I supported it. I am a mom and making sure that we are caring for those children.
Obradovich: And you think the state should be doing that and not the federal government?
Ernst: I do think the states need to be involved. I do think that we do need to take a look at regulating, making sure that the product is safe. But we have sunset the bill, we'll try it for a few years and see how it works here in Iowa.
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Henderson: Senator Ernst, some of the folks that Edward Snowden revealed were informants for the U.S. military. What is your view about Mr. Snowden? Are you like Mr. Jacobs, glad that he has stepped forward?
Ernst: I think there is a portion of me that says I am glad that he brought to light that we were looking at private citizens' emails, tracking conversations. But, again, we have to protect their 4th Amendment rights, those citizens of the United States. But on the other side, I do view him as a traitor for releasing that information. As someone who has served in a combat zone during a time of war I take issue with that and I think protecting our men and women who are in harm's way is exceedingly important.
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Ernst: Yes. And I'm going to agree with part of that also. I don't believe that we have gotten to a point where there should be boots on ground in Ukraine and I am tied to that area. I did go to the Ukraine in between my freshman and sophomore year of college on an agricultural exchange and that is what led me to serve in the military. So I do have very strong feelings about Ukraine and their independence as a sovereign nation --
Borg: But you're a conservative about sending people into battle?
Ernst: Because I have been in a combat zone. And so we have to make sure that there are certain boxes that are checked before we ever send anybody into harm's way. We haven't checked those boxes.
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Borg: Let me interrupt just to ask, is affirmative action necessary to guarantee that opportunity?
Ernst: Dean, I do believe it is a state's issue, just as education should be a state's issue. We all have very different populations and so let's let the states decide that.
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Ernst: I still believe in a traditional marriage and I believe that's a strong way to start a family.
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