MCSALLY: I am passionate about protecting people with preexisting conditions and forcing insurance companies to provide them health insurance. I voted to make sure that they had that coverage. The reality is that ObamaCare right now is not covering people with preexisting conditions. We can't go back to what we were in the past. I met an entrepreneur last week who decided to start a small business with a preexisting condition. She's uncovered right now under ObamaCare. So, we are trying to move towards a system that provides more options, more choice for people, that lowers the cost, that allows states to manage it.
MCSALLY: Yes, what we were trying to do is not have the federal government one-size-fits-all, top-down approach, while protecting people with preexisting conditions, allowing states flexibility.
MCSALLY: I share the president's frustration that the Democrats are obstructing on this issue. I represent a Southern border district. And on the border right now we're dealing with a cartel activity, continuing to traffic opioids and other drugs and human trafficking into our communities. This is a public safety and a national security issue. A number of people are being trafficked by the cartels, taking advantage of the loopholes in our laws, so that they know they're going to be released right into the interior of the US, never to show up for their court date. This isn't working. And my bill that I worked really closely with the White House on closed these loopholes. Only Congress can do it This is a unifying issue across Arizona.
MCSALLY: I have been consistently leading on this issue as the Border Security Subcommittee chair. This is a difficult issue. But when the president kicked DACA to Congress, appropriately, we worked together, to lead, to identify a solution that secures the border, closes these legal loopholes, moves us more towards a merit- based system, and does something on DACA. This is what we worked on to bring to the floor. Unfortunately, we couldn't get it passed. But we're going to keep working on it, because the border still needs to be secured. These loopholes still need to be closed. And I'm going to continue to lead on this when I'm in the Senate. Even though Washington, D.C., moves on the other topics, we still have to address this issue.
(BEGIN VIDEO) MCSALLY: Kyrsten, I want to ask right now whether you're going to apologize to the veterans and me for saying it's OK to commit treason.
SINEMA: Martha has chosen to run a campaign where she is engaging in ridiculous attacks.(END VIDEO).
Q: Do you really think that Kyrsten Sinema was approving treason?
MCSALLY: Well, it's her words. It's totally out of step with American values.
Q: Sinema says this talk show host was going off presenting all kinds of hypothetical ideas, and she was just trying to shut him down and get back to the fact that she opposed the Iraq War, which was just about to start in 2003.
MCSALLY: Well, she continues to make excuses.
Martha McSally (R): Ban. "I'm pro-life." Voted to ban after 20 weeks with exceptions for rape, incest, & life of the mother.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): Legal. Uphold Roe v. Wade. "A woman, her family, & her doctor should decide what's best for her health--not Washington politicians."
Q: Contraception: Allow employers to withhold contraceptive coverage from employees if disagree morally?
McSally: Yes. Says not about women's access to contraception, which she supports, but legality of ObamaCare mandates.
Sinema: No. "Women in our district want a chance to.make their own health care decisions."
Q: Healthcare: Let Planned Parenthood receive public funds for non-abortion health care?
McSally: No. Voted to defund.
Sinema: Yes. Voted to continue allowing.
Martha McSally (R): Personally opposes, "marriage is between one man & one woman," but now accepts as the law.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): Yes. Sinema is Bisexual and strong LGBT rights supporter. Called Supreme Court decision "A historic victory for families."
Martha McSally (R): No. Voted against letting states legalize medical or recreational cannabis. Would allow prescriptions for veterans.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): State option. Voted to let states legalize medical or recreational cannabis.
Martha McSally (R): Yes. Supports education vouchers. Backed SOAR Act to help DC students attend private schools.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): No. Opposed SOAR Act, & vouchers in general for eroding public education.
Martha McSally: No on Warren proposal. Did not join 181 sponsors. Initially supported budget that would radically cut Pell grants. Recently more supportive, like allowing for summer courses.
Kyrsten Sinema: Yes. Voted for Warren proposal. Also restore Perkins loans for low-income students, increase Pell Grants, & allow for summer courses.
Martha McSally (R): Unclear how serious a threat she considers. Says climate is changing, & that humans have played a role. But also voted to end Defense Dept assessments of climate-related threats to military installations & operations.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): Yes. "Our climate is changing & human activity is contributing." Voted for continued assessment of threat.
Q: Clean Power: Limit or tax production of greenhouse gases?
McSally: No. Opposed Obama Clean Power plan, citing impact on Apache generating station. Voted against the potential carbon tax in 2018.
Sinema: Mixed. Supports limits & opposed condemning Obama Clean Power plan, but raised issues about impact on Apache & opposed potential carbon tax.
Q: Renewable Energy: Support government subsidies for renewable energy?
McSally: Unclear. Supports new technologies, but led by private sector.
Sinema: Yes. Supports government funding to develop renewable energy.
Martha McSally (R): Yes. Supports decision "to terminate U.S. participation in this rotten deal."
Kyrsten Sinema (D): No. Withdrawing without defined strategy does not make us safer.
Martha McSally (R): Unclear. Opposed tariffs on imported solar cells. Backed tariff exceptions for products used in manufacturing.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): No. Worry about retaliatory tariffs & "reckless trade war."
Martha McSally (R): Mostly no. Enforce existing laws & address mental illness issues, rather than enacting new gun laws. Supports banning bump stocks.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): Yes. Supports some gun rights but also stronger background checks.Voted to end law banning federally funded research on gun violence.
Martha McSally (R): Repeal. Says, "ObamaCare, which was flawed from the beginning, is collapsing under its own weight." Says should replace with a different plan based on bringing down costs & increasing competition.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): Support, shaped by not always having health insurance as a child. "No family should be forced to choose between getting the care they need & paying their bills." Says Repeal would strip coverage from hundreds of thousands of Arizonans, & skyrocket premiums for older patients & those with pre-existing conditions.
Martha McSally (R): Formerly supported citizenship options. Now supports extending DACA protections but no path to citizenship.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): Yes. "Congress must act to secure our borders & provide an earned path to citizenship for Dreamers."
Martha McSally (R): Possibly. Increase retirement age for younger workers & let them privately invest part of their contributions.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): No. Opposes gambling in stock market with Social Security returns.
Martha McSally (R): Yes. Voted for it. Says average taxpayer in her district saved $1,029.
Kyrsten Sinema (D): No. Voted against. Says increases debt by $1.456 trillion & doesn't help most ordinary taxpayers.
Q: Support federal spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
McSally: Generally, no. Need to get spending under control. Did support federal transportation funding for AZ.
Sinema: Mixed. Cosponsored Balanced Budget Amendment.
Trump has tried to blame Democrats for his own administration's policy, tweeting that they "can fix their forced family breakup at the Border by working with Republicans on new legislation, for a change!"
Facing a national uproar, House GOP leaders included a provision in the immigration proposal that would require families to be kept together for as long as they are in the custody of DHS.
The proposed fix won approval from moderate House Republicans locked in difficult re-election battles, but not from Republican Senate candidates running competitive races in GOP-leaning states. None spoke in support of the bill.
"We're studying the proposal," said Arizona Rep. Martha McSally. "I try not get swayed by what the emotions are or the pressure. I really try to look at the policy issues."
McSally instead is backing a bill that calls for allowing undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to apply for "contingent non-immigrant status," rather than giving them a shot at becoming legal permanent residents and eventually full US citizens.
McSally asked the House of Representatives for unanimous consent to formally drop her co-sponsorship of a bill called the Recognizing America's Children Act. McSally now wants another bill, called the Securing America's Future Act. That bill, which would do away with the diversity visa program and impose tougher border enforcement provisions. It would grant "contingent nonimmigrant status" to those brought to the U.S. as children if they meet certain conditions rather than citizenship.
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The above quotations are from 2018 Arizona Senate race: debates and news coverage.
Click here for other excerpts from 2018 Arizona Senate race: debates and news coverage. Click here for other excerpts by Martha McSally. Click here for a profile of Martha McSally.
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