The candidates seeking to be the next U.S. Representative in the 5th Congressional district met for a debate last night in Danbury. They were asked a range of questions including on gun control, immigration reform and the Affordable Care Act.
Democrat Jahana Hayes supports universal background checks. She believes Connecticut laws, approved in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook School, should be duplicated across the country. Hayes acknowledged that individual rights should be protected, but that collectively the community needs protecting. Her husband is a police officer, and expects others to go through background checks as he had to. She wants to close the gun show loophole. Republican Manny Santos said there’s few things more important in the constitution than individual liberties. He says there’s no doubt there’s a gun violence problem, but that the majority of shootings were done by people who have criminal backgrounds or mental health issues. He says aggressive gun control legislation will turn law-abiding citizens into criminals. Santos says responsible gun owners are not the problem.
Hayes says waiting for people to commit a crime before they get on law enforcement radar is outrageous. She called for comprehensive mental health reform to go along with gun control. If the second amendment isn’t upheld, Santos questioned what else government would infringe upon. He asked if the right to assemble would be infringed upon because of disorderly conduct.
The candidates were also asked if they would support arming teachers. Santos says he doesn’t support the idea. But he added that he does support the federal Department of Education to send money to states that want to implement the idea. Hayes, who was the 2016 national Teacher of the Year, does not support arming teachers. She says she wouldn’t want to have to explain how a student gets their hand on a gun that might not be secured, or that was taken off a teacher’s person. She added that police shouldn’t be put in the position of having to decide who is a teacher and who is an active shooter. Hayes added that funding set aside for academics should not go to buying guns. She also questioned how the funding for training would be kept up.
In order to rein in college costs and control student debt, Santos says individuals incurred the debt by their own choosing. He says people have to have the expectation that the debt has to be paid back through a meaningful career. But he wants to incentivize graduates who go into certain fields by forgiving some of their debt. Hayes says people should have access federal funds like PEL grants. She notes that the amount spent on that program is the same amount proposed for the border wall. Hayes called for different priorities in Washington. She would look at incentives for people who return to Connecticut for work after graduation. Hayes also wants to look into overhead and administrative costs. Santos says federal loan access should continue.
As for making rail travel safer, both candidates support reinstating a mandate that conductors be tested for sleep apnea in an effort to prevent derailments. Hayes says infrastructure improvements are also needed. Santos called for more funding for rail service.
Immigration was a heated topic. Santos believes so-called DREAMERS, young people brought to this country as minors by their parents, should have a path to legalization, but not citizenship. Santos added that the lax enforcement has led to a strained system. When it comes to separating children from their parents, Santos says more judges have been added to address the situation. He says the problem is because of past administrations not enforcing the laws. Hayes says there is an immigration problem, but that there is not enough being done to help people seeking asylum. She says DREAMERS have been brought here through no fault of their own and should be given a pathway to citizenship. Santos says there are clear paths to refugee status, which should be followed. Hayes says the current path could take decades for someone to legally become a citizen. Santos says the pathways are clear.
Trade disputes and the recently renegotiated NAFTA plan were also discussed. Hayes said she would support trade agreements if they protect jobs, rates, standards and the environment. She says policies shouldn’t be driven solely on the economy and not forget about what they do to people, the environment and allies. Santos says trade agreements that protect jobs should be a priority. He said that he lost his job because of NAFTA and was pleased it was renegotiated. Santos says pushing back to make sure Americans get a better deal is needed.
Medicare for All and a single payer system were some of the health care topics brought up. Santos says government health care is not the utopia that many believe it will be. He cautioned against more government involvement, saying that it’s unaffordable for taxpayers. Santos also said there would be too many inefficiencies if government controls health care. He wants to look at the Affordable Care Act and other legislation that can address some problems with the current system. Hayes supports the idea of Medicare for All. She says the Connecticut marketplace under the Affordable Care Act is one that actually works. She called for more competition and reduced costs, saying the administrative cost is lower than private insurance. Santos says government health care will be a rationing scheme.
Hayes says remarks have been made recently by Republican leaders about eliminating Medicare and Social Security to reduce the deficit, created by the tax plan. Santos said he hasn’t heard that, called that idea preposterous and questioned where she heard those remarks.
On climate change, Santos says he believes there are changes but questioned how much was due to human contributions. He says environmental concerns have to be balanced with supporting families. Santos says no one wants dirty water or polluted air, but there is room to remove burns on businesses and individuals. He added that no one is advocated for getting rid of all regulations. Hayes says believes humankind is a contributor to climate change. She added that she is not willing to trade a vibrant economy for clean air and water and the future. Hayes says a factory or a community shouldn’t be profiting as children struggle to breathe. She called for full funding of the EPA and continued regulations to protect against pollution. Santos says farmers are having a hard time staying in business because of costly environmental regulations.
The candidates were also asked about women’s rights. Hayes is pro-choice. She says priorities are determined by who is in the room and women should have the right to make their own health care decisions. Santos says he is in favor of having equal rights so the question comes down to abortion. Santos said he has a mother and a daughter and would not pass legislation that would put them at risk. He is pro-life, but noted that it’s the law of the land.
Ways to combat the opioid crisis were also addressed. Santos says alternate pain management options should be explored. He also wants to look into the DEA and examine why they are no longer cracking down on distribution facilities. Hayes says there is no singular preventative approach. She called for more education, reforms to overprescribing and expanding rehab or transitional services.
This is an open seat because Democratic incumbent Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty opted not to seek reelection amid a controversy over her handling of a sexual harassment case in her office. Hayes called for more transparency and wants more procedures so staffers or other workers are protected. Hayes says there should be a set of policies for reporting and there should be follow-through. She wants thorough and quick investigations when there is an incident. Santos was critical of Esty for not doing anything about the situation until it came out in the media. He says elected officials should be held accountable for their actions and noted that he would have removed his chief of staff.
On how to achieve bipartisanship, Santos said partisanship is a problem, but that it exists because of ideological differences. He added that resistance is a problem because that closes off discussion. Hayes says people can disagree without being disagreeable. She noted that thinking about constituent needs would be her priority.
