U.S. Senate Candidates Debate | Video

Jessica Roose | 10/25/2012

U.S. Senate candidates Heidi Heitkamp and Rick Berg met on stage Thursday night for their final debate before voters head to the polls in 12 days.
The candidates talked about the need for Congress to work in a more bipartisan manner to reduce the nation`s $16 trillion deficit and get a farm bill passed.

Heitkamp accused Berg of not doing enough to get the bill brought to the floor and passed before Congress recessed.

"The discharge petition that you circulated, you got eight signatures from other Republicans and there`s over 40 signatures from Democrats," said Heitkamp. "I don`t call that success, and I don`t think that`s the path forward. We have to have a bipartison farm bill. But we have to have people who represent the state and who believe it`s important enough to get on the Ag Committee."

Berg says one of the challenges was that the bill also includes changes to the food stamp program, which some members don`t support.

And, of course, the President`s health care law was brought up. Heitkamp continued to say changes are needed but the law should not be repealed. Berg disagreed.

"Here`s something that 70 percent of the people of North Dakota didn`t want, and yet it was shoved through in the middle of the night rather than hold town halls and get input from people. My opponent went around the state with rallies to campaign for it and push for it, rather than get the input. The way the legislative process needs to work is we need to have open committees, bring everyone together, patients and providers,and work out a solution that`s right for North Dakota."

You can watch the debate online at www.freetv.org.

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