The following is a New Hampshire election special presentation.

The New Hampshire candidate debates 2022 in collaboration with New Hampshire.

Public Radio, New Hampshire PBS and New Hampshire Bulletin.

Production support is provided by the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, NHPR's debate for New Hampshire's Second Congressional District.

I'm Todd Bookman with NHPR, joined today by Ethan DeWitt of the New Hampshire Bulletin.

These debates are produced in collaboration with The Bulletin and New Hampshire.

PBS Today we're joined by incumbent Democrat Representative Annie Kuster.

And Robert Burns, her Republican challenger.

Welcome to you both.

Great to be with you, And as you can hear, we've got a live studio audience at NHPR A bit about our format.

Each candidate will have 60 seconds for an opening statement.

We'll, then move to questions with each candidate getting 60 seconds to respond.

Ethan and I will at times follow up with a question or seek clarification.

Candidates will get 30 seconds on each of those.

In the case of a direct attack, we'll get candidates 30 seconds to respond.

And we relied on the public's feedback in selecting today's topics.

Today.

We thank everyone who supplied input.

We'll get started with opening statements.

We flipped a coin backstage.

Mr. Burns, you'll go first.

60 seconds, please.

Thank you.

My name is Robert Burns.

Thanks for having me here.

My name is Robert Burns.

I'm a lifelong New Hampshire resident.

And the reason that I started running for Congress this was back in 2018 was various different things.

But one of the big issues was supply chain issues.

And this was before COVID, where I saw that critical manufacturing was being moved overseas, particularly pharmaceuticals at the time, then shipped manufactured And I'm also looking and talking about food security.

One of the most important reasons that I think people should be voting for me is I'm not bought and paid off by lobbyists in Washington.

I don't have a lot of money.

You probably don't see a lot of TV ads of mine or attack ads.

But today we had a poll where I'm actually leading my opponent.

And it's not surprising because people are sick and tired of what's going on.

They want people working for the people of New Hampshire, not the lobbyists, the lawyers, the government officials that are making over 200 K in D.C. that are becoming rich on our backs.

Not the people who work for D.C. and then become consultants making four or five times six as much, six times as much money.

The people who are taking hard earn our hard earned tax dollars and then putting strings attached to send it back to us.

Thank you.

Thank you, Representative Kuster.

60 seconds.

Well, great to be with you.

Thank you again to NH PR for your level of civic engagement and inviting us in.

I'm running for Congress I'm Congresswoman Annie Kuster running for another term.

And it's all about lowering costs, but it's about our personal freedoms and it's about keeping our communities safe.

This is an incredibly important election.

We'll hear in the next hour of our views.

And they couldn't be more different on any number of topics.

I'm proud of the work we did to bring our economy back from a worldwide pandemic and from a war in Ukraine.

And we'll get into the specifics of those bills.

The American rescue plan, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Inflation.

Reduction Act, all making a difference every single day here in New Hampshire.

We'll talk about our personal private freedoms including women's reproductive health, and we'll talk about keeping our communities safe, including funding the FBI and making sure that we protect our families.

So thank you so much.

Delighted to be with you.

Great.

Let's get started with some questions about the economy.

Representative Kuster, to you first.

Many economists say increased government spending contributed to inflation over the past two years.

Are Democrats in part to blame?

And looking back, is there any federal spending that you would now change your vote on?

60 seconds, please.

Sure.

Well, you got to go back to the Trump administration and the $2 trillion added to the deficit for a tax break to millionaires and billionaires.

That didn't help any of us.

We were responding to a worldwide global pandemic and a potential economic collapse.

The good news is we have cut prescription drug spending with the Inflation Reduction Act.

We're going to limit the out-of-pocket expense to seniors to $2,000 per year.

We're going to limit the diabetes insulin to $35 a month.

And we're going to make vaccines free.

We're going to invest in clean, renewable energy.

So the only bills that I can consider that I wouldn't have voted for are bills that are extraneous to the strong economic recovery here in New Hampshire.

And my opponent would have opposed all of these bills.

The American rescue plan, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the Inflation Reduction Act.

And frankly, we wouldn't have an economy here in New Hampshire.

We'll get to your opponent in a second.

Are Democrats, though, in part responsible for the inflation of the moment?

I think what's driving inflation right now is the profiteering and price gouging by the corporations.

Let's just take, for example, the price of gasoline as it went up and up and up.

We now know that Exxon was making 300% profits.

We know that Chevron and Shell and all the others we're making doubled the profits that they had even before COVID 19.

And what I know is that President Biden has responded to that and that the price of gasoline has come down from the highest levels.

And we need to tackle that type of price gouging and profiteering so that American consumers can live their lives and not have it ruin their bank accounts.

Representative Kuster, you voted for a bill that would give the federal government the power to fine companies that set excessive fuel prices.

Opponents argue this would discourage new energy production, which would push up energy rates even more.

So how do you respond to that?

30 seconds.

The fact is they have 9000 wells and they're not using them.

And I want to get us off this relentless chase for fossil fuels.

Invest in clean, renewable energy.

I'll tell you this, New Hampshire is falling woefully behind our neighboring New England states.

Look at Vermont.

17% solar.

Massachusetts, 20% solar.

New Hampshire is at 1%.

And New Hampshire consumers are paying the difference.

We're going to pay $750 more for our energy than Rhode Island over $500 more than Vermont.

And it's because our governor and our state legislature will not take these federal funds, these federal incentives, and let New Hampshire companies, New Hampshire citizens, invest in clean, renewable energy and save the planet and create jobs.

Thank you very much, Mr. Burns.

When the COVID 19 pandemic first hit, many individuals, many businesses were facing a financial cliff.

Employees couldn't work.

Businesses couldn't open.

You describe yourself as a fiscal conservative.

Would you have voted for any of the relief or stimulus money?

60 seconds.

Possibly.

But there needed to be more oversight in the bill that we got was terrible.

There was way too much grift and graft.

There were way too much money that was just lost to corporations that never existed.

There was this rush just to throw out money of the sake of doing something.

And many of those companies did go out of business, and they're extremely suffering right now because of the reckless spending that we had here.

We talk about government spending and my my opponent here talks about the need for the federal government to help build businesses.

I built my business without the federal government.

And I work mostly for pharmaceutical industry.

Not true when you consider the paycheck protection loan that was forgiven.

Let's see.

That was ten years later with $25,000.

I built my business, built it without government assistance and the pharmaceutical companies that I work for can do just fine without government assistance.

The pharmaceutical companies that are funding your campaign to tens of thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands.

We took on the pharmaceutical companies.

You haven't taken on any pharmaceutical company.

Opioids across the state killed 150 Americans in New Hampshire just over the last year per 100,000 Americans dead right now because of because of the pharmaceutical companies that you've pushed these opioids here.

Let's let's focus back on the questions that are asked.

Thank you.

Spirited debate and we appreciate that very much.

Thank you very much.

Let's take a different tact here.

Yeah.

We're back on some of the third party.

I want to say something about all this federal spending and stuff and printing money.

When I was 13 years old.

I watched the cartoon called DuckTales and in that Hewie, Dewie and Louie got their hands on a a gun that was able to replicate money.

And you can imagine what happened in Duck Burg afterwards.

Everything went up in price where, you know, a haircut was costing $50,000.

The federal government is not here to build your business.

The federal government is not here to bail you out.

We send this money to the federal government and then they send a little bit of the back of it with strings attached when you go to Washington, D.C., those are the people who Anne Kuster is fighting for.

It's the lawyers, the lobbyists, it's the medical industry, it's big corporations and they have their houses all around Washington, DC, these McMansions.

I have talked to so many people that worked for the government for their 20, 30 years.

They get their pension and then all of a sudden they're making millions as consultants back.

Those are the people that she's working for.

That's why her campaign is so well-funded and they refuse to give me any money.

Let's turn back to a policy question here.

Sure.

You recently took a stance against lie heap.

This is the Home Heating Assistance Program.

This comes from the federal government.

What would you say to the New Hampshire families who are dependent on that program to heat their homes for 30 seconds.

First and foremost, we should be lowering the cost of energy for everybody.

The boondoggle of green energy isn't working.

And what they call green energy isn't green.

The most green reliable energy we have is new nuclear power.

That's the future.

Second of all, this is something more the state should handle.

I believe in giving tax credits for, you know, improving energy efficient windows, etc., things like that.

Those are where we can make a real difference.

Just giving somebody a $500 voucher from the federal government to a select few people is going to help very few of the voters that are listening right now.

And I do believe that those programs should be run by the state governments where we're not giving that money to the federal government just to get it back with strings attached.

And of course, the federal government takes their grift off the top.

Thank you, Ethan.

Let's turn to the topic of abortion rights, Mr. Burns.

You propose something you call abortion life panels that would require a second and third opinion when a woman is, in your words, being forced to have an abortion.

Can you explain what this process looks like in 60 seconds Let's go with the original comment we were talking about health of the mother mental health specifically.

Now we've all seen the commercials where they take 2 seconds out and they say a panel.

Okay.

Now, I probably misspoke a little bit when I said panel but then later on, I was asked more questions about it.

And I do believe that that women, particularly of color and of lower economic affluence or without insurance do go into hospitals.

And when they have a complicated pregnancy, the first thing that they're told sometimes by the doctors, well, you probably should get an abortion.

And this happened to a family member of mine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

She was carrying two twins and they said, your life is in danger.

You need to have an abortion.

They aborted one of the children and the other child.

They said, well, we're having trouble aborting the second child.

I guess we can just see and wait and see what happens.

She ended up delivering prematurely a fairly healthy baby boy who is now training to be an Army Ranger.

So when I hear stories like this out here or what happened to Celina's parents, the Tatiana music star who was told that she had a tumor and it needed to be removed and luckily her father went out there to get an a second opinion from Doctor Ron Paul, who said that's not a tumor, that's a baby.

But but, Mr. Burns, can you explain kind of what this would look like in practice?

Is this is I was talking about mental health panels like this originally.

It was all about mental health.

Sure.

But can you just take this moment to clarify?

Are you talking about passing a law that would that would effectuate this or is.

I think I think that if a woman goes in and says that she needs an abortion because of mental health, I believe that she has the right and someone should absolutely.

A psychiatrist or psychologist should be in there to give her guidance.

I think it's absolutely reckless and medical malpractise not to do something like that.

Okay.

But is this something, again, a law that you would change to do this?

Or is this just a law to require that a woman be able to get access to mental health care?

Absolutely.

Sure.

I think that everybody should have access to that.

I mean, that's why I think I'm the only one up here.

And she says that we're so diametrically opposed I'm the only one up here proposing Medicare for All.

I'm the only one talking about a single payer health system where she opposes it because, of course, she's paid off by the insurance companies and just to clarify like you just said just now, that women should go through this process, particularly women of color and lower economic status.

I'm saying that they should have access to it, which they don't at many times.

Okay.

I mean, we see this, you know, systemic racism in our health care system.

We saw this during COVID.

The deaths of of minority women were much higher that or minorities in general were much higher than men.

Thank you representative.

You can respond in your annwer But I just want to ask a question first.

You've called for the codification of Roe versus Wade.

Right.

To an abortion up to the point of viability, which is generally defined as about 20 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

How far into pregnancy do you believe abortion should be allowed.

I support viability.

I support the law of the land for 50 years, Roe versus Wade, we've all in this room grown up with that and it's worked perfectly well and in fact, three out of four New Hampshire voters agree they identified themselves as pro-choice and they identify with the making Roe versus Wade, the law of the land.

It's called the Women's Health Protection Act.

And that's what I voted for.

Mr. Burns record is perfectly clear.

For years.

He's called himself 100% pro-life.

That life begins at conception.

In fact, he went so far in the primaries to say he wants that in the Constitution.

He supports a bill not once, not twice, but three times during his debates in the primary that would criminalize abortion before.

I've never said criminalize abortion once have.

You've absolutely never heard that out of me.

Mr. Burns, I'll give you a chance to clarify, but you don't use the word that is the effect.

It's a nationwide abortion ban that would send physicians to jail and it would begin before most women know they're even pregnant.

Thank you.

I went so far as to double down on this issue of panels.

If a woman's life was in danger, he would have a group of other people, not the woman, not her physician, not her husband.

I've been an adoption attorney for 25 years.

I've worked with over 300 birth mothers who face unexpected pregnancies.

I can say this, Mr. Burns.

You don't know what you don't know and you don't know pregnancy.

Representative.

Mr. Burns, I'll give you a chance to respond to that a second, but I wanted to follow up with your representative.

Republicans have said Democrats support abortion up to the day of delivery.

Where do you Absolutely absurd and it's a Fox News talking point and it doesn't happen.

Okay.

But now you support the ability of it.

It's what I support is physicians to make that decision.

That is typically tragic circumstances.

The circumstance that you described in your family.

I know a very similar situation, a woman who has gone public with her story, Lisa Achy.

She had to go to the New Hampshire legislature to change the abortion ban in New Hampshire in order to get through her own pregnancy.

And so I think we need less government interference in people's personal private lives.

It's the live free or die state.

And the voters agree with me on this.

Thank you, Mr. Burns.

I want to get a sense me.

I mean, first off, I mean, she never really answered the question.

She says she agrees with it up to viability.

So I guess that's a 24 week abortion ban.

So what I specifically said during the debates that have doubled down before with the Constitution was, in fact 12 weeks Now, I've also come out later.

No you talked about the bill that would prohibit abortion before most women even know it's six weeks.

No, no, no.

I said specifically.

Representative let's hear Mr. Burns I specifically said 12 weeks, multiple times.

But I also said that I would support the Joe Manchin proposed bill of 15 weeks.

That's not the bill coming to the floor.

There are 80% of the Republican caucus have already signed on to the Life at Conception Act.

If you go to Congress, Mr. McCarthy becomes the Speaker of the House.

The first bill in January.

This is part of their commitment to America.

The first bill that the Republicans bring to the floor of the House is an abortion ban at conception.

No exceptions, no exceptions.

Representative Mr. Burns, I just add now multiple times that I would support the Democrat, Joe Manchin.

Bipartisan legislation.

You would not be allowed.

There is not a single pro choice republican voice.

Representative, please allow.

Mr. Burns.

I would I would that I just and I said I would support that multiple times.

I said.

Being in Congress is about compromise.

And, you know, I agree with Hillary Clinton when she said, you know, especially the part where she said making abortion rare.

And, you know, remember, it was about.

Mr. Burns, your website today has the bill that is prohibiting abortion before.

I don't think my website has a specific bill on.

Take a look and check that out.

But I don't think we'd like to see the same bill that you supported all the way through the primary.

I have said very specifically early on.

Well, we we can just keep going back.

I'm sorry.

We would like to move on to other topics.

Todd, thank you.

Let's turn on to something.

It's definitely out there.

It's by video.

We'll have to check later that you support.

24 weeks abortion ban.

Thank you.

Your husband should be part of making the decision.

And you also agree with with them.

You don't think a husband should be involved I 100% agree with the crosstalk is not helping anybody.

Understand.

Thank you.

Mr. Burns.

And I just thought it was very unwise.

Mr. Burns, let's turn to immigration and the southern border.

You've called for more aggressive action against drug cartels and what you call narco terrorists.

Could you provide some specifics on what that would look like, whether you think American soldiers should be boots on the ground in Latin and South America?

Well, I mean, whether they're soldiers they probably wouldn't be soldiers in the military, but they would probably be agents of the United States that would absolutely take these people out.

They need to be killed.

And would this be done in cooperation with the leaders of that?

That's what we try.

But we do have some failed states down there, like in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras are definitely going towards failed states and being run by MS. 13.

And let's make no mistake, I get it.

This is our drug war.

We've caused these problems is the United States.

It's our money that has caused these problems.

And we owe these people.

They're living terrible lives.

I've spent a lot of time in South America, in Mexico, and I've seen exactly what this drug war has been doing to people down there.

And we definitely bear some responsibility for this.

And I do believe it's part of national security.

And I don't agree with the prisoner exchange that we did recently in Venezuela with the two narco terrorists that the Biden administration let go.

You've also advocated for more aggressive deportation and sealing off the border with Absolutely.

At a time, though, when the country is in desperate need of more workers, what role do you see immigrants playing in strengthening the economy?

Well, first and foremost, we have plenty of people not working here in the United States.

And this is something another forum that my opponent didn't show up to the other day was one about disabled Americans.

And one of the things that we talked about is how many disabled Americans can't work.

One of the reasons that they can't work is if they make too much money, they lose their benefits.

And I know plenty of people either with disabilities, PTSD, you know, various reasons and they're afraid of losing.

I can't hear this all the time.

I'm afraid of losing my housing.

I'm afraid of losing this.

So therefore, I can't work.

We need to put these people back to work.

We need to make sure that they're not afraid about losing their benefits if they make so much money that they can start paying off a little bit of the stuff.

We need to re rework how this is all done.

You know, I have a very close relative right now and he has severe brain injuries from the military and he's afraid to go back to work for a year and something not working out and him losing his ability to pay his mortgage.

People shouldn't have that fear.

We should also be looking at using more prisoners at work.

And I don't mean slave labor.

I mean paying them fair wages for what they do.

And there's a whole bunch of various ways that we can get Americans back to work.

But as far as the immigrants go, I do believe that there's definitely we're going to need more nurses and doctors in this country.

We have a great way of coming.

We need those specific people.

But it's specific people that need to be here, not just opening up the gates for whoever shows up.

To you Representative Kuster, what can or should the federal government be doing right now to better support the states and cities, especially those along the southwestern border, as they work to meet really the basic needs of a record number of migrants?

Right.

Well, technology for one and better processes I've been down to the border.

I was there during the Trump administration when they were literally snatching newborn babies for mothers.

It was heartbreaking when we met with those mothers.

But we need to address issues of inequality and low income and in do better with our foreign aid.

We need to address the drug war we've made a huge mistake.

We haven't taken on the demand side and the whole war on drugs in terms of putting people in jail without giving them the resources that they need to recover from their addiction and mental illness.

I went to the women's prison right before COVID 100% of the women in our prison here in New Hampshire are victims of sexual assault.

That was 75%.

25% were mental health abuse neglect in their childhood.

One big difference between us, I believe, in medically assisted treatment, Suboxone is making a big difference in people's lives.

And I have a bill with Cory Booker that would bring this treatment in house.

We live with very, very high recidivism.

Rates, and it's expensive to the society and to our taxpayers.

And I think that we should use that time for better mental health treatment, co-occurring illness, better access to medically assisted treatment, and help people get back on their feet so they can get back in the workforce and help us deal with the number one problem of every business that I visit, which is the workforce issue.

Thank you.

Ethan, next question.

I'd really need to follow up on the Suboxone.

We were actually going to get to that.

Okay.

As long as it's such a time.

So thank you.

Let's turn to foreign policy.

Representative Kuster, you've supported military aid to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.

There are there any circumstances in which you'd support sending troops to Ukraine?

60 seconds.

I have not supported American boots on the ground in Ukraine.

I have supported the javelins the Stingers, the Howitzers.

I think one thing that we could be doing right now that would make a big difference is drones.

They're using drone technology against Ukraine.

The Russians are.

And they're learning to shoot those drones down.

But I think it would make a big difference.

Look, the biggest difference between us here today, in addition to our positions on abortion is our position on democracy.

That's what I'm wearing, the Ukraine flag in the American flag.

I believe in democracy.

I believe in supporting the people of Ukraine who are fighting for democracy.

And I believe in our role with intelligence and providing support.

So, no, I don't support boots on the ground, but I know my opponent doesn't support any military assistance to Ukraine, and we strenuously disagree on that topic.

Representative, is there any point at which the US will no longer be able to afford to support Ukraine in their effort?

There is talk growing in Congress that, you know, some of this aid needs to be paid back.

When Amazon starts paying taxes, Amazon is paying no taxes, nor are most of the large companies that are supporting the half billion dollar pack that's coming in to help my opponent.

He likes to rail against corporations.

But the reality is I'd like to think the answer is right.

So I'd like to stick to that foreign policy.

We will not know.

The answer is no.

Okay.

And one more question for you, Representative.

How should the U.S. respond if Russia uses tactical nuclear weapons in this conflict?

Well, preventive, and that's where we are right now.

I think taking a strong position, working with our allies.

I don't want nuclear weapons to be used in Ukraine or anywhere in the world.

And I think the steps and diplomacy and taking a strong stand are making a difference.

In fact, Mr. Putin has backed down this week and said that he does not have any intention of using tactical nuclear weapons.

And I think that's important.

We have to keep the world safe while we're keeping Ukraine and Europe safe from this aggressive war.

Okay.

Thank you.

Mr. Burns, you've said that you support providing food aid to Ukraine but not weapons.

Should the U.S. play any military role in preventing further Russian incursions?

Well, 60 seconds.

First thing I just want to say, I have no idea what pack she's talking about.

The only pack that came in that supposedly was helping me out was a Democrat superPAC during the primary.

Funded by her friends that were attacking me, saying that New Hampshire would get burned by with Burns.

Okay.

She did bring up one interesting thing about drones, and I I'd really love an answer to this.

Why was the Ukraine barred from buying American drones prior to the Ukraine war?

I mean, just regular drones.

And I have no idea why I said we'll sell them whatever weapons we want to.

You know, I have no problem with selling the Ukraine weapons.

I also have no problem giving them food and health care and, you know, lifesaving aid.

Like that.

But no, I don't think we need to be sending them unfettered weapons and cash that we have no idea where it's going.

These weapons are ending up back on the black market.

We remember what happened when we supplied other people with weapons those weapons came back and killed American soldiers include, I believe it was 32 American soldiers in a Chinook helicopter that got shot down by a surface to air missile during the.

Afghani conflict.

You know, we can't just be sending these dangerous weapons and we don't know where they're ending up.

And we're seeing them coming back on the black market today.

Listen, Europe needs to step up on its own.

China and the narco terrorists and what's going on at southern border should be the priority of the United States right now.

And one more question on Ukraine.

Is there any point where that might change?

Is there any red line with what Russia might do that were you might change your mind on what?

Listen, I'm not the president, but you never take anything off the table.

But as the president's not, he's got a way of trying to instigate them as well.

And I don't think that we should be doing that part of our policy either.

So I'm not going to sit up here and try to instigate Putin, but I'm also not going to ever say that we're going to take anything off the table.

And really quickly, on tactical nuclear weapons, what should the US response be?

Again, I mean, I think it really it's you know, you really have to wait for something like that happen.

And then I'm a congressman.

What my what my ideas and my response is probably doesn't matter to hill of beans.

If I am a congressman, I say so, you know, but again, we'll have to see what happens there.

You know, we we have tactical nuclear weapons like bunker busters and stuff that we talked about using an Afghanistan.

What would other nations response be if we use those?

You know, so we really have to see what the circumstances are and stuff like that.

And I think it's these theoretical situations are way too hard to get in to say, here's what we do.

Okay.

Thank you.

Back to you.

Todd, Thank you, Representative Kuster.

Let's turn to voting rights and election integrity.

You supported HR1 This was a broad, sweeping federal bill that would have changed how New Hampshire votes That includes new early voting and mail voting.

Why should the federal government control how states including New Hampshire cast and count their ballots?

60 seconds, please.

Primarily because there are states across this country that are blocking Americans from the ballot box.

And I believe, again, in democracy, it's democracy is on the ballot on November 8th.

New Hampshire has terrific elections.

We can be very proud of our elections, particularly the same day registration.

What we witnessed during.

COVID was how well that early voting and the mail in voting worked.

We had no fraud here.

We had very high participation rates.

And I just believe in voters, I believe in voting.

I think everyone should get a chance to participate.

People are working.

They're juggling their families.

They're picking up kids at child care.

They often don't have time to make it there on that one particular day.

And so I think for citizens all across this country, everyone should have the right to early voting mail in voting and making sure that their vote counts.

But how do you move forward with more absentee ballots given that Republican opposition continues to grow to this?

Well, you know, it's interesting about the Republican opposition.

They seem to be afraid of what the American people will do at the ballot booth.

And, you know, particularly people of color, you're looking at states like Alabama, Mississippi.

You're looking right now at stories just I saw in the news the other day a person was trying to vote in one of these early voting boxes and was assaulted by a person with the gun.

Like, what is it that Republicans are afraid of about Americans voting?

I think we have a terrific democracy.

It was threatened on January six by insurrectionists who attempted a coup.

I know Mr. Burns is now endorsed by Donald Trump.

I haven't heard his position on where he is on the coup attempt on January six.

But I will say that.

Well, if you showed up one of those forums.

We'll turn to that now for you, Mr. Burns, you have said you're concerned about voter fraud.

There remains no widespread evidence of of large scale fraud.

But what specific reforms would you support to ensure an election that people can have faith in from the federal government?

Absolutely nothing.

The federal government has no place within our voting.

My opponent right here said that New Hampshire does it right.

So why do we need the federal government for?

Voting Rights bill in the South?

You don't think blacks should have had the right to vote I believe that it's up for the states.

Yes.

Well, if there's if Missippippi Alabama blocking black people from voting, you're fine.

Are you talking about the Democrat Party during Reconstruction, all right.

Just thinking about the Voting Rights Act.

Thank you.

Continue, please.

Okay.

I believe it's up for the states.

We don't want one party in power being able to control voting in another state.

That's a scariest thing that we can do.

The people of those states can decide how the states vote.

Obviously, when there's gross.

Why would they be a fraid of early voting, I don't understand who's and I don't I don't understand your question.

Listen, I'm being a representative of New Hampshire here.

That's what I'm running for.

So do you have a problem with the way that we vote in New Hampshire?

I think our voting is great.

We don't need the federal government at all.

But thank you.

States do it.

Do you think those Republicans, Mr. Burns, who supported false claims and spread false claims about the 2020 election and I'm thinking of former President Trump, who you support.

Do they need to stop spreading these claims?

Are you worried about the impact that this is having on our civic lives.

Listen, I've said from early on this isn't a winning issue.

It wasn't a winning issue for Democrats in 200020042016.

Let's see the Georgia governor's race when they've all called those, you know, fraudulent elections.

They weren't winning issues back then.

Okay.

You know, one thing that we did see with this movie, 2000 Miles, which is interesting is the claim of this ballot harvesting and obviously early, early ballot voting would allow to ballot harvesting.

Now, what harvesting is, it's not a fake vote or a fake voter.

It's something.

6 lawsuites not a single success for President Trump.

I'm just saying there's definitely evidence of this.

I mean, are you saying you don't believe that there was any ballot harvesting at all?

No, it just never happened.

He's never illegal voter at all.

I'm not saying there was no evidence.

I say 100% I don't believe that there was enough there to have changed that election.

But I do believe that these things happen.

When you stand with President Trump on the stage next week when you tell him that.

Sure.

Oh, I'm going to be on stage with Trump next week?

I would assume.

Where's this happening?

Representative Kuster?

I haven't gotten this breaking a little news.

So what's going on with my campaign that I'm unaware of?

We need to take a short break.

This is NH NHPR's candidate debate for New Hampshire's second congressional district.

Stick around.

We're going explore further issues, including addiction treatment and gun safety.

We'll be right back.

The New Hampshire candidate debates 2022 in collaboration with New Hampshire.

Public Radio, New Hampshire PBS and New Hampshire Bulletin.

Production support is provided by the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire.

Support for closed captioning is made possible by Proulx oil and propane.

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We're talking with incumbent Democrat Representative Annie Kuster and her Republican challenger, Robert Burns.

I'm Todd Bookman, reporter for NHPR with me is Ethan DeWitt of New Hampshire Bulletin.

We'll continue now with a discussion on climate change.

Ethan, please.

Mr. Burns, you've questioned whether humans are causing climate change.

Would you support any efforts by Congress in protecting the climate or limiting the impacts on homeowners and businesses?

Why don't we we say the climate.

We never say the environment.

You know, one of my key issues that I like to look at is the oceans.

An article this morning that I think is eye opening.

And I said this earlier at one of the forums, I think I was at Dartmouth, and it really, I think, got people thinking there.

I don't recycle plastic anymore.

I throw it away because most of these plastics are being sent overseas and dumped into our ocean.

The recycling of plastic is the big lie.

We do recycle some of the other stuff, but it's like 80 to 90% is not being recycled.

I do believe that we need to be spending more money for national security.

Quite frankly, I'm bringing back our coral reefs down in Florida.

We just had a hurricane down there.

Coral reefs limit the amount of damage that hurricanes bring in.

We used to have a coral about 40 years ago called antler coral.

It's essentially all but disappeared.

But through gene editing, and a lot of work down in Tampa, we've been able to start bringing that coral reef back.

And I think that those are the things that we need to focus on.

I also want to focus on a fish population.

And, you know, we talk about the boondoggle of green energy we're looking at right now.

California being in a crisis because they don't know what to do with all their obsolete solar panels.

But also I want to talk about hydroelectric.

It's not it's not the green energy that keeps on giving its decimated fish populations out in the Pacific Northwest, particularly the salmon population.

And those are things that I'm concerned about.

I think you're talking about environmental issues and actions.

What about emissions?

Should there be any federal policy on emissions?

Well, the problem is, is I don't like hampering back production in the United States.

Well, allowing emerging countries to put as much pollution as they want in our air and water while hurting American businesses.

I mean, this is what I saw in my industry.

The reason pharmaceutical companies left the United States had nothing to do with the cost of labor.

It had to do with EPA, OSHA and FDA.

So why do we send our pharmaceuticals overseas but then say, hey, you can go produce somewhere else, but you don't actually have to be to any level at the same standard that you're in the United States?

Guess what?

It's all one air.

It's all one ocean.

Now, I don't believe so much that maybe we're changing the climate, but I definitely believe in pollution and I absolutely think we should be doing something about it.

But the entire world needs to be held to that standard.

And when we're doing business with China, those companies that we're doing should be held to the same standards.

I don't just mean that to also slavery.

I mean, one more thing.

One more for you, Mr. Burns.

Would you support building another nuclear power plant in New Hampshire?

Absolutely.

But these new nuclear power plants aren't like the old ones.

Okay.

Traveling wave, nuclear, much smaller plants.

They produce a lot less energy, but they're a lot safer.

They're a lot cleaner.

They barely produce any nuclear waste.

And actually, some of them even, they can actually use nuclear waste to run off of.

Okay.

Thank you, Representative.

You support investments in clean energy technology to reduce carbon pollution.

But let's talk about how to cover those costs.

Would you support a federal tax on carbon emissions?

Yes, I have and here's the problem.

It's carbon pollution.

He wants to talk about the environment, but it's the carbon pollution that has the direct connection to the warming of our environment and to these dramatic weather events that we've been having all over the world.

The super hurricanes, the tornados, the fires the floods, the droughts.

All of this is as a result of the changes human made to our to our environment, and we need to tackle that at the federal level.

And I would support the Paris Agreement when my opponent says there's no role, it's a leadership role for the United States to take.

And the good news is it means great jobs and it means less dependance upon oil and gas, which is what's driving the cost of our energy right now.

I've already mentioned the profiteering and the price gouging by Exxon and all the others.

Look, I went to an auto dealer in Milford, New Hampshire, last week.

Contemporary auto, all new solar panels on their roof.

They're not worried about the cost of fuel this winter because they are actually selling their energy back into the grid.

It's the net metering issue here at the state level where Governor Sununu and the New Hampshire legislature has blocked progress on hydro.

I was a part of this when the work in my committee, the energy committee, to get that into the Inflation Reduction Act.

So solar.

And what about nuclear for you?

Nuclear is part of the mix.

And it is right here in New Hampshire.

So there be another offshore wind, I think is really critical as well, I think.

I don't think we'll need it because the offshore wind that's going in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, off our coast is going to probably make New England pretty much energy independent within our lifetime.

And so I don't think that that's the way to go back to you Todd.

Representative Kuster, you've been involved in multiple efforts to get overdose, the overdose drug crisis under control today.

Drug overdose deaths sadly remain higher, far higher than they were five years ago even.

Why haven't these efforts succeeded?

What change in approach is needed here?

Sure.

Thank you so much.

COVID really set people back and it's been tragic, you know, for many people.

They were able to work from home and they were able to live their lives and there is some silver lining from COVID with telehealth that people were able to get access to their mental health and drug treatment.

But for many people, there was increased anxiety, increased depression, isolation.

And some people, including my own brother out on the West Coast, had been in recovery and then COVID really set them back.

What can make a difference is Suboxone.

And that's what's saving his life right now.

And I'm so grateful to that being available but we need to do better.

It's a very small percentage of people that have access to medically assisted treatment.

We disagree on that approach.

But having access to treatment and therapy, we've just passed in the House a package of bills that my taskforce put together, the bipartisan task force on Mental Health and Addiction that I founded.

And we are working with Patty Murray in the Senate to get that passed.

But this is access to treatment.

I'm working on telehealth audio only telehealth, because it's very effective, and some people don't have access to broadband communication.

Mr. Burns, let's let's turn to you.

You've said you do oppose funding opioid treatment addiction and believe Suboxone is overused.

You've also said nutrition, exercise and personal responsibility are more appropriate drug treatments.

What evidence shows that that can be an effective approach?

Oh, there's absolutely programs out there where there's bootcamp type facilities that people get committed to and they get their butts kicked.

And that's been the most effective way to get people off drugs.

I want to talk about Suboxone for a second.

Okay.

First and foremost in 2016, the United States Justice Department sued the original manufacturer, Reckitt Benckiser over Suboxone, particularly because it was making unfounded clinical claims that were never true.

Later, I think it was 20, 18.

My opponent here supported legislation Carr 2 that would make it easier to put Suboxone out there Make no mistake, Suboxone is a powerful opioid.

It's essentially trying to fight fire with fire.

Give opioids or give like it's like giving people beer to get off of alcohol.

Okay.

All science and all statistics from all science and statistics have shown ever since that drug has hit the market.

The drug epidemic has exploded in this country while now it's a $4 billion a year industry.

And quite frankly, in 2000 No, they didn't make Suboxone.

That was Reckitt Benckiser, the benefactor of the same pharmaceutical companies right now that are producing generics of Suboxone.

And you pass this legislation and they give you tens of thousands of dollars.

Mylan Pharmaceuticals now called Viatres Never heard of it.

You've never heard of Viatres?

I haven't.

I don't know.

Wait a second.

Joe Manchin daughter, Heather Bresch is the CEO, was the CEO of Mylan Pharmaceuticals, who put 600% increase on EpiPens.

And you've never heard of them.

Mr. Burns we're getting into the weeds.

I find that we think the policy.

No.

So in 2000.

So a year after she passed this bill 2019 the Justice Department actually got a $1.4 billion finding against the manufacturers of Suboxone that they were pushing doctors to prescribe it way too much and that they made false claims.

There is no scientific evidence, no statistical evidence that this helps out.

Absolutely.

It helps you temporarily get off of drugs.

But we're seeing people on them for four or five, ten years while they make billions of dollars and they fund your campaign.

Mr. Burns, that's not the case.

Excuse me.

I have the right to respond.

30 seconds begins.

Thank you very much.

So, Mr. Burns, you've lived your entire life in the pharmaceutical industry, and apparently you have medical credentials here.

I trust the physicians.

I trust the scientists.

I trust the physicians.

Mr. Burns the prescriptions because Purdue Pharma didn't write a single prescription.

And by the way, I've never done business with them.

Purdue Pharma.

It is well-established, pushed opioid medication throughout this country, particularly here in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire had to double the rate of pain medication.

And we were hit very, very hard.

And I've worked with many, many families in this state who are desperately trying to help their families deal with mental health and addiction issues.

And medically assisted treatment is one of the techniques that is very important to help people move on so that they can take care of their families.

They can We're going to move on to.

Thank you.

Thank you.

I have one question we have.

We'll come back to you.

Mr.. We'll come back to you.

Move on to just one question.

When it comes to OxyContin and opioids from Purdue Pharma, who wrote the prescriptions?

We're going to move on now Ethan I think you have a question about gun laws.

Your campaign website makes no mention of firearms or gun laws.

Do you support the current regulations in place at the state and federal level, or do you think anything should change?

No, I do.

And I voted for the violence protection bill that passed the House.

It's the first in 30 years.

I believe, again, I do a lot of bipartisan work with sexual assault survivors and domestic violence survivors in our bipartisan task force to end sexual violence.

So I've met with many, many, many survivors of violence and I support the law that we passed this summer that convicted violent offenders will not be having weapons And my opponent is opposed to that.

And I want to protect women.

The high rates of murder that have gone on, not just in the state, but all across the country, Clearly, there's a pattern that you can look back to of women being threatened with domestic violence, with threats, with stalking.

And I want to make sure that we keep our families and our communities safe.

I should say the other thing was shocking was that my opponent wants to defund the FBI.

And the FBI is critical to our efforts on sex trafficking and on sexual abuse and exploitation of children online.

So I was surprised by that.

Thank you.

A couple of years ago, here on the exchange, then you said you were open to a gun buyback program.

Is that still something you'd like to see implemented?

Sure.

I think those are very, very successful.

Okay.

Thank you.

And what do you say to criticism that the only people who participate in buybacks are the ones who are law abiding, that it doesn't get the guns out of the hands of criminals?

What is your response to that?

Well, look, I think responsible gun owners, I have tremendous respect.

The Second Amendment is very important here in New Hampshire.

My district is a rural district, and people enjoy hunting with their family.

Often they rely on that for their food.

So I have no intention of interfering with the rights of lawful gun owners.

But I've yet to meet a hunter who wants these weapons of war, these assault weapons.

Responsible gun owners want to keep their families safe, too.

And they want to be able to send their children to kindergarten and have them come home alive.

That's the bottom line.

Mr. Burns, you've said the right to bear arms is absolute.

But what about current laws that prohibit people who are subject to restraining orders from having a firearm or convicted felons?

Listen, we're a nation of laws.

We have due process.

If you if you commit violent acts and by the way, people commit violent acts, all the time, they aren't prosecuted.

And that's part of the problem.

People talk about red flag laws, but the ones we already have the laws out there, you get online and you make credible threats, say, I'm going to go shoot up a school that's that's against the law, you know, but you need due process before you take away people's constitutional rights.

So that's the type of nation that we live in.

Is there any change that you would make to federal gun legislation, either policy or.

Well, I mean, I think, you know, I have a friend who's a trucker.

He's my previous neighbor.

And he's going to start doing long haul trucking, you know, including like LPS.

And he can't carry a firearm to protect himself because he can't go through certain states.

And he's like, you know, natural gas truck is essentially a bomb.

I mean, it's a soft target for terrorists.

He should be able to protect him and his family when he's moving through states, but he can't because we don't have a national reciprocity law if that's a national licensing.

And so what, you mean like take a test like a driver's license and then he'd have a license?

I mean, national reciprocity, if you have the ability to get a license in your state, then that's then it would be recognized all across.

But there are states that don't have license.

It's a race to the bottom.

Vermont is the only state that I'm aware of that doesn't have a license.

But do you want to be flooded with guns from you know that.

What's the gang you mentioned?

Thank you.

They wouldn't come up to New Hampshire.

We had to far too many guns.

Thank you.

So you'd support that law.

That's what I'm hearing.

I think we can move on.

Sure.

Thank you, Todd.

Great.

Mr. Burns.

Many New Hampshire voters identify as independents.

They take pride in rejecting political parties.

What's one major issue where you do break with your party?

60 seconds.

I mean, Medicare for All.

I mean, I want to start off by by doing preventative health care.

You know, I think it should cost something like $5.

But I want to stop using women's health as a political football for abortion and Planned Parenthood, which by the way, I mean, look at Planned Parenthood right now.

It's it's all over her commercials.

They're being sued again for racism.

Nicole Moore is now suing Planned Parenthood, and she prides herself in her endorsement from a racist organization.

Breaking with your Party please.

Sorry.

What was the original question?

An area where you break with your.

Oh, yeah.

Well, yeah.

And so I actually do believe that I want to work towards this Medicare for All.

I think I'm the only Republican who's ever said it.

Besides the political football, I think everybody has a right to basic health care.

But I want to go there slowly because the federal government does do things terribly sometimes.

And a lot of people in D.C. got rich.

And I want to make sure that that doesn't happen.

So I want to start off with preventative health care, like cancer screenings, pap smears, breast exams and things like that, but then eventually move towards other areas.

But also, I believe every child should have a right to health care.

So this would be a government run, government overseen program.

Yeah.

So I'd love it if it was done by the states.

Maybe there's a maybe it's coming down from the federal government, but maybe the federal government can do it.

I realize that, again, you know, particularly when it looks like the military in the way that we spend money recklessly, I don't want that to happen.

So I do believe that there's a slow way to get there, but I do want to get there.

Representative Kuster, same question to you.

One major issue where you do break with your party.

Sure.

And there are any number.

But most recently, it was about our Canadian border.

And I had to push very, very hard with our delegation on the White House and to reopen the Canadian border, because my constituency, who was, you know, separated from family throughout COVID, separated from business opportunities.

Tourism is a very big deal of Canadians coming to New Hampshire.

And it was really devastating for the North Country.

And so I was pleased to see our efforts were successful.

But that's one of the issues.

Thank you for that, by the way, from my Canadian people as well.

So the Department of Justice has called white supremacy the biggest domestic threat facing the country.

Mr. Burns, do you agree with that?

No.

And what should be done to address the narco terrorism, South America, stuff like that?

I mean, this whole thing you know, this goes back to when when I was a kid, you know, when when CNN created all this like fake propaganda that Timothy McVeigh was a white supremacist.

You know, they never really found any evidence, you know, and then the the bombing there in Georgia at the.

Olympic Olympics.

Thank you.

You know, they tried to make the guy who actually saved everybody's life.

He was a white supremacist.

I mean, this is something that we go back to.

Nobody can really ever point out to me some major white supremacist attack that killed all these people.

But I can tell you that thousands of Americans have died from Ms-13 and narco terrorism, that hundreds of thousands are dying from the fentanyl.

So I actually see a real problem going on there.

I think this is something that people like to make into an existential threat that we really can't do anything about.

And I don't think that it is the largest.

So you don't think it's the biggest domestic threat, but do you think white supremacy is a problem in general?

I mean, there's white supremacists out there.

But I mean, trust me, there are few and far between and there are a few guys hiding in their basement.

You go on like these these websites, the Anti-Defamation.

League, those guys that they bring up these white supremacist organizations, I used to look for them in Manchester.

I could never find these guys, the East Hammerhead Skins.

They just never existed.

They claim that we have these white supremacist organizations, and I've been unable to find a lot of them.

I mean, they talk about these white supremacist websites.

There are legitimately two guys sitting in their parent's basements and they create a lot of content and they're crazy.

But but there isn't some huge group of white supremacists hanging out in a secret clubhouse somewhere waiting to overthrow the government.

Okay.

Thank you, Representative.

What are you?

Is white supremacy the biggest domestic threat facing the country as well?

I don't know.

I'd refer to them that way, but I think the biggest threat to our democracy were the people that tried to overthrow our government.

I was a witness and a victim to that attack on January six.

20, 21.

And I was very fortunate that the two dozen of us that were kept in the gallery that got pinned down by the attack were eventually able to escape but we now have the footage of that hallway on the third floor, and it was 30 seconds from when I ducked into the elevator and made my escape to when the insurrectionists were in that hallway.

They had weapons.

I'm glad that they're finally getting the long sentences that they deserve seven and a half years for the person that attacked Officer Fanone.

But our law enforcement officers died that day.

Over 100 of them were brutally wounded.

And I believe that we need to take it very seriously.

The threat, What does it look like, taking it very seriously?

These these are these sentences that are being held down right now and holding.

President Trump and everyone who was involved accountable.

As I said, President Trump has now endorsed my opponent and I think it's a threat to our democracy.

Thank you.

Todd, back to you.

President Biden took steps last month to overhaul U.S. policy on marijuana Polls show support for legalization.

Representative Kuster, to you first.

Would you back legalization of marijuana at the federal level?

Where I've been is to back the decriminalize zation so that we can get to the research.

We don't have all of the research because for way too long we haven't been doing research on marijuana.

I think, you know, that issue is best left to the states.

Obviously, our neighboring states have gone as far as to decriminalize.

New Hampshire has not.

And I have faith in that being a local decision.

Mr. Burns, where are you right now on federal marijuana legislation?

Well, New Hampshire did decriminalize, but it's not because federally it's a schedule one drug.

So cannabis let's call it cannabis is a schedule one drug.

That means it can't even be used medicinally.

But it is.

But it's actually technically illegal when anybody prescribes it or uses it.

We're just not enforcing federal laws right now.

It absolutely needs to be descheduled.

Then states can decide what they want to do and how they want to regulate if there's no such as legalizing.

We don't have legalized alcohol.

We have regulated alcohol.

I'm not a big fan having traveled this country of the way that it is being distributed in some states.

Some of the earlier states, we've seen them fight back against the candies, like the gummy bears and all the fun stuff where they've gone more towards, you know, dark chocolates that aren't as appealing to kids.

Absolutely.

Children have been getting into it, and I don't like the way that some states have done it.

I hated the idea of selling cannabis out of the state.

Liquor stores in New Hampshire.

Of course, that wouldn't be up to me from the federal government side.

But from the state side, I can tell you that's a really, really, really bad idea.

You know, so I do want to see a deschedule or at least lower down on the schedule so that people who are using it right now for medicinal purposes aren't put in jail.

And I also want to see other substances being used for medical research.

I work with a company right now in Cambridge that's using LSD, MDMA, to work, particularly with veterans with PTSD.

I want to talk about campaign finance here.

So starting with Represtative Kuster, you've been a prolific fundraiser throughout your time in Congress.

And this campaign, more than a third of your money has come from political action campaigns, not individual donors.

Voters have consistently said they're turned off by the role of money in politics.

So what ideas would you support to limit the influence of money in elections?

Sure, I'd love to get rid of it completely.

We could have publicly financed campaigns that make sense to me, but until we have that part of those organizations and let me just try to explain this to people, this is local businesses, credit unions, local banks, realtors Right here in New Hampshire.

We already have campaign finance reform people, individuals that participate in a political action committee those are employee contributions.

And so I make no apology for employee contributions for organizations with a strong connection to New Hampshire.

I'm very proud of the thousands of individual donors and the very low dollars that people contribute.

And look, sadly, it's very, very expensive.

I mean, there's a Republican PAC likely to come in to support Mr. Burns.

That is.

I'm sorry to cut you off.

I forgive Mr. Burns.

It's a half billion dollars.

Okay.

Thank you, Mr. Burns.

Sorry, we have we have a minute left.

Excuse me, Mr. Burns, in less than a minute.

You've been significantly outraised in this campaign by Representative Kuster, an incumbent in Congress.

Do you think there needs to be more federal oversight of political fundraising?

Honestly, I don't like even the oversight there.

I think it's First Amendment people should be able to spend what they want.

What I don't like is all the dark money that's happening right now.

You know, there is all this dark money that came in supposedly supporting me, although it was really attacking me.

But it might have helped me win the primary that came from the Democrats.

I didn't like that.

But then there was all this dark money who came in for my opponent over $1,000,000.

I didn't like that either.

I thought it would be nice whoever just wrote the guy a check and we knew it was I'd love it if my brother in law could just write me a big check and that he didn't have to go to find some place to send money to or something like that.

Who?

Some grifter is going to take 45% off the top But you know it.

Listen.

And if you want to make a commitment that neither of us will spend any more money, obviously we can't control the PACs.

I'd be happy to do that.

Because I have no money.

You can call it.

I'm glad it's called C. Kevin McCarthy.

I mean, if you're willing to do the same, I mean, I'd be fine.

Just and honestly, right now, the polls have been tightening up.

The attack ads on me aren't working.

I would go with something else, something more positive, honestly, And probably it will probably be called start calling me my correct name will end on that positive note.

This concludes today's debate.

I really want to thank both of our candidates.

Representative Annie Kuster, Robert Burns, thank you both for being here today.

I also want to thank New Hampshire PBS and New Hampshire Bulletin for their support in planning today's debate.

Election Day is November 8th.

For now, I'm Todd Bookman, along with Ethan DeWitt.

And thank you so much for joining us today on NH PR.

This has been a.

New Hampshire elections special presentation.

The New Hampshire candidate debates 2022 in collaboration with New Hampshire.

Public Radio, New Hampshire PBS and New Hampshire Bulletin.

Production support is provided by the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire.