Lesko vs. Tipirneni: A shocking difference
Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko says she and her Democratic opponent, Hiral Tipirneni, are as different as black and white.
Rep. Debbie Lesko nailed it. The difference between the two is, in fact, startling — from their outlook on who they represent to their work histories. (Tipirneni spent 10 years as an emergency-room doctor, Lesko spent nine years as a state legislator).
One of them has actual ideas to fix some of our most vexing issues and the other? Not. A. Clue.
Did I say their differences were startling? Actually, more like shocking, which possibly explains Tipirneni’s better-than-expected showing in a special election this year to fill the seat vacated by Trent Franks. Reporters and editors at The Republic recently sat down with the pair to talk issues.
On CD 8, their northwest Valley district, Lesko said, I am a pragmatic Republican. I represent a conservative district.”
Tipirneni said, “Forty percent of the district is Republican, which means 60 percent is not Republican. And that is what my campaign has been about, is about helping everybody.”
When it comes to President Donald Trump’s border wall, Lesko says she supports President Donald Trump’s wall and notes that Tipirneni is against it.
“We voted on a bill that would $25 billion not only for the wall but for technology, more border agents, more integration,” Lesko said.
When asked where the money will come from, Lesko said, “From our budget.”
Tipirneni says she’s not against spending money for a wall where it makes sense: “I have not said that I am not for any physical barriers. We are looking at a $20 billion to $70 billion cost for a wall and if the goal is to keep us safer then let’s look at the data. Let’s find out where our weaknesses are.”
She says the Border Patrol is 30 percent short-staffed and needs better surveillance equipment, drug sniffing dogs and X-ray equipment, given that most drugs now come through ports of entry.
“The largest growing percentage of our largest group of undocumented immigrants are people who fly over and overstay their visas. So a wall doesn’t do anything for that.“
On health care, Tipirneni says she supports several pillars of the Affordable Care Act, including the individual mandate, no lifetime cap on benefits, allowing children to stay on their parents’ plans until age 26 and protecting those who have pre-existing conditions from being locked out of insurance.
For those who don’t qualify for a
health-care subsidy but don’t have access to an employer-based plan, she proposes that they be allowed to buy into Medicare.
“What we know is that it has about one-tenth of the overhead of the private insurance companies . ... It is allowing the free market to work. This is act a fiscally conservative plan because it’s a buy-in not a handout and it allows them to compete. What happens is that costs come down, we get choice and actually, it’s a way to cover those people that fall in between, that don’t have employerbased (insurance) and don’t fall into a subsidy.”
Lesko says she also supports protecting those with pre-existing conditions and allowing children to remain on their parents’ insurance until they are 26.
She objects to Tipirneni’s Medicare buy-in plan, calling it government-run health care. She would expand health savings accounts and allow people to buy insurance across state lines and beyond that, doesn’t offer any plan.
“I just want more patient freedom, more freedom in the free market private sector. It’s something that I would have to, obviously, work on.”
Then there’s Social Security.
The Social Security trustees report, released this year, projects that the combined trust funds for retirement and disability will be depleted in 2034.
Tipirneni says we face a tough set of choices: either raise the retirement age or impose new taxes to keep the system solvent. She opposes raising the retirement age and instead supports “slight bumps” in the payroll tax and the amount of earned income that can be taxed for Social Security.
“It’s not like you like you can snap your fingers and magically save Social Security . ... I believe it could be a combination of the two. You could have a slight bump in the payroll tax and a slight bump in raising the limit because right now, that limit on what you can tax for Social Security is around $128,000 so you’re talking billions of dollars untaxed as far as not contributing to our Social Security fund.”
Lesko said we should cut down on fraud and grow the economy, but beyond that didn’t offer any proposal to shore up Social Security.
She says she opposes tax increases and doesn’t know whether she would raise the retirement age.
“It’s something that I would have to study and meet with all the stakeholders and that type of thing . ... Until I would really dig into that and let’s face it. I’m what, five months in Congress? Do you think I’m going to be the lead person to take on Social Security and Medicare?”