Linda Lingle in Reuters

On Education: I support PBS, but Big Bird is not essential to America

Lingle at first said she's friends with the chief executive of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and that she's been a supporter of PBS, backing off remarks from a previous debate that PBS should be considered for cuts along with other programs if they're not deemed essential.

"Linda seems to have changed her mind," Hirono said. Lingle then clarified her previous comments, saying she was talking about PBS in the context of the rest of the nation's spending.

"It's going to be very important for people to look across the spectrum of how we spend our money and set some priorities," Lingle said. "I did say I'm not sure that Big Bird is essential to the defense of America."

On Homeland Security: Don't let up on its defense spending, like pre-WWII

Hirono said Congress was right to raise the debt ceiling and needs to reach sensible compromise to avoid the deep cuts planned.

Lingle compared today's times with the period between WWI and WWII to say the US shouldn't let up on its defense spending or become more isolated.

Hirono retorted that nobody's talking about weakening national defense, but Tea Party Republicans have said the US should worry more about itself than other countries.