GRAND FORKS – In a wide-ranging debate Friday afternoon, Aug. 30, the two candidates for North Dakota’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives broadly agreed that changes need to be made in American international and immigration policy and that a new farm bill is key, although they disagreed on the manner and details on how to get there.
The debate between Republican
Julie Fedorchak
and Democrat
Trygve Hammer
was convened by Forum Communications columnist Rob Port and co-host Chad Oban
on the Plain Talk Podcast.
Port billed the debate an attempt to facilitate a conversation between the two candidates rather than a competition.
The discussion opened with Fedorchak and Hammer in agreement that Congress needs to provide more funding for border security and immigration processing to address issues across the country, but especially at the southern border.
“I definitely support increased funding for folks at the border, and I would definitely support increased funding for finishing the wall and creating a physical or virtual barrier,” Fedorchak said. “We need to secure the border and we need to start having more agents protecting and to process the people coming through.”
Hammer agreed that more funding needs to be appropriated to immigration services, such as asylum application processing, but added that he would push to address the issue closer to its source, such as by doing more immigration processing across Latin America rather than just at the U.S. border.
“We need sensible, legal pathways for immigrants to come to the United States, and (people) don’t want to see anything that’s unnecessarily cruel,” Hammer said. “We need substantial increases in Customs and Border Protection personnel. … We also need judges and other personnel down there to speed up a process that takes five to seven years right now.
“A process that is ridiculous,” he added. “It should take weeks, not years.”
A bipartisan border bill that would have tightened immigration laws was killed in February by U.S. Senate Republicans after former President Donald Trump urged them to reject any compromise, according to a Reuters report.
Both Fedorchak and Hammer said that if elected, one of their first priorities would be getting a farm bill passed if one doesn’t happen yet this year.
“I would like us to restore country of origin labeling, and I would like to see a truth in labeling, because we have a lot of consolidation and agricultural markets,” Hammer said. “I feel like when North Dakotans go into a grocery store, they would like to support their local rancher.”
Fedorchak said addressing increasing costs would be key in the next farm bill iteration.
“(My nephew) talks about the fact that his operation loan is eight-plus percent versus in the two and three percent that it was a couple of years ago,” Fedorchak said. “He is facing increased costs, and the price of commodities is down, so that just doesn’t pencil out.”
When asked by Port about how they intended to make a tangible difference as just one of 435 voices in the U.S. House, Hammer said the success of the job is measured by the character of the leadership.
“In the U.S. House, when you’re talking to another person, they have to trust that you’re not going to go from talking to them to going out and throwing bombs on some social warfare issue,” Hammer said. “We can find things that we do agree on.”
Fedorchak said her leadership qualities are already on display with the endorsements she’s received and her work on the state Public Service Commission.
“They’re doing this because they know me. They are doing this because they know I’m a worker – I’m not a talker, I’m a worker,” Fedorchak said. “… I like to get to work and have results.”
When pressed, Fedorchak did not commit to policies proposed by both presidential candidates to end taxes on tips and Social Security benefits.
“I am not going to commit myself in a one-hour discussion in this campaign to specific policies that may or may not be the right solution long term,” Fedorchak said.
Hammer said that ending taxes on tips and Social Security benefits is a good idea if it’s targeted toward those who would see the most benefit, adding that he would work to eliminate tax loopholes for the super-wealthy.
“What we’re going to have to do to make up for it is find more sources of revenue,” Hammer said. “We have to eliminate those tax loopholes at the top, the funny money games they can play up there in order to end a guy like Elon Musk paying an effective 8% tax rate.”
Answering a question Oban said was asked by multiple listeners, both candidates also agreed that the 2020 election was not stolen.
“All doubts in the system were purposely sown by people we should consider leaders,” Hammer said. “What we need are leaders of character who do not lie to the American people.”
Fedorchak added that the country needs to do better in 2024.
“I do trust the results (of the election),” Fedorchak said. “I think the sad thing about the issue, though, is that a lot of people throughout the country questioned it, and that’s a problem.”
Both candidates also reaffirmed their positions on women’s reproductive rights. Fedorchak said she would be for a national ban on abortion after 16 weeks gestation with exceptions for the life of a mother. Hammer said the decision should be between a person and their medical provider and that politicians should not be getting in the way of personal medical decisions.
In the time since both candidates were nominated in their respective June primaries, President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and Trump survived an assassination attempt. Fedorchak said Biden dropping out is yet more evidence of the need for a stronger leader in the White House.
“Quite honestly, I felt bad for him in that debate,” Fedorchak said, referencing the June 27 presidential debate between Biden and Trump. “It felt like I was watching my dad who is struggling in older age.
“Biden has been protected for so long by his fellow associate Kamala Harris, his staff, the media, his party, and is not up to the task of leading this country,” she continued.
Hammer said that although he was one of the first to call on Biden to drop out of the race, he still believes Biden is a competent leader who works to keep this country safe. He also noted that, unlike Trump, Biden hasn’t praised the efforts of autocrats around the world.
“Strong leaders do not praise people like Putin, people like Orban, people like Kim Jong Un,” Hammer said. “I took a lot of heat from (calling on Biden to drop out). Do I wish he was younger? Yes. Do I feel like he’s a competent commander-in-chief who will keep my son-in-law out of danger and lead well and do I feel like he’s surrounded by good people? Also yes.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-29 13:00:00
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