IN THE CAMPAIGN THAT ADS ARE NOW
AIRING ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.
HERE IS ONE THAT TAKES SHARP AIM
AT SENATOR DONNELLY.
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND I HAVE
BEEN DELIVERING RESULTS FOR THE
PEOPLE OF INDIANA EVERY DAY.
BUT HOOSIERS DESERVE TO KNOW,
IT'S NO THANKS TO SENATOR JOE
DONNELLY.
WHEN IT CAME TIME TO CUT YOUR
TAXES, JOE VOTED NO.
REPEAL AND REPLACE OBAMACARE?
JOE VOTED NO.
EVEN WHEN THE TIME CAME TO
CONFIRM JUSTICE BRETT KAVANAUGH,
JOE VOTED NO.
INDIANA, IT'S TIME TO VOTE NO ON
JOE.
SCOTT: LET'S TAKE THOSE TOPIC I
TOPIC.
TAXES, YOU DID VOTE NO ON THE
CUT.
THE ECONOMY BY MOST MEASURES
APPEARS STRONG RIGHT NOW.
UNEMPLOYMENT IS LOW, OTHER
INDICATORS ARE STRONG.
WOULD YOU VOTE NO AGAIN?
SEN. DONNELLY: ABSOLUTELY.
BY THE WAY, I RESPECT THE VICE
PRESIDENT, BUT I WOULD VOTE NO
AGAIN.
YOU JUST SAW, MITCH MCCONNELL
JUST SAID YESTERDAY THAT ARE --
OUR DEFICITS ARE EXPLODING.
THAT'S WHAT I SAID WHEN THE VOTE
CAME UP.
OUR ECONOMY WAS STRONG BEFORE
THE TAX CUT VOTE.
OUR EMPLOYMENT WAS STRONG BEFORE
THE TAX CUT VOTE.
WHAT THIS DID WAS EXPLODE OUR
DEFICIT BY OVER $2 TRILLION, AND
THAT'S GOING TO BE PAID BY OUR
CHILDREN AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN.
SO THIS
CAUSED US TO BE IN A
POSITION WHERE IT MADE IT MUCH
MORE DIFFICULT FOR US TO BE ABLE
TO MOVE FORWARD ON OTHER
PROJECTS, LIKE MEDICAL RESEARCH.
AND IF YOU HEARD, THIS WAS MITCH
MCCONNELL'S TAX BILL.
THE VERY NEXT DAY AFTER THE BILL
PASSED, PAUL RYAN SAID PUBLICLY,
HE SAID, OUR DEFICIT HAS
DRAMATICALLY INCREASED.
NOW WE HAVE TO CUT SOCIAL
SECURITY AND MEDICARE.
THAT HAS BEEN THEIR PLAN.
I FIGHT FOR SOCIAL
SECURITY AND MEDICARE EVERYTHING
WILL TIME.
WHAT THIS WAS ABOUT, MIKE BROWN
GOT A WHEELBARROW FULL OF CASH.
$37 WENT TO THE VERY RICHEST,
FOR EVERY SINGLE ONE DOLLAR THAT
WENT TO THE WORKING FAMILY.
THAT'S WHY I VOTED AGAINST.
SCOTT: WE COULD SEE A CONGRESS
THAT STAYS ENTIRELY RED.
YOU COULD HAVE ONE HOUSE GO
BLUE, THE OTHER RED.
BOTH COULD BE BLUE.
IF THE OPPORTUNITY TO REPEAL THE
CUTS COMES UP, WOULD HE DO THAT?
SEN. DONNELLY: MY JOB IS TO GROW
THE ECONOMY.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE WILL DO.
THAT IS HOW YOU START REDUCING
THE DEFICIT, BY GROWING THE
ECONOMY AND KEEPING SPENDING AT
A VERY CAREFUL LEVEL.
THAT'S HOW YOU START TO DO THAT.
SCOTT: SECOND ISSUE WE SAW IN
THE COMMERCIAL.
THE VICE PRESIDENT MENTIONED
HEALTH CARE.
HUGE ISSUE FOR YOU IN THE
CAMPAIGN.
YOU MENTIONED IT A MOMENT AGO.
FROM THIS CHAIR, IN THE CURRENT
SITUATION, MOST OF THOSE
CONFIGURATIONS I JUST MENTIONED,
IT IS HARD TO SEE HOW ANYTHING
GETS CHANGED, ONE DIRECTION OR
THE OTHER, IN TERMS OF A FURTHER
REPEAL AND REPLACEMENT OF THE
FORMAL CARE ACT, OR SOMETHING
THAT EDGES BACK TOWARDS WHAT IT
WAS.
AS A SENATOR WHO WOULD BE IN
POSITION TO POSSIBLY MAKE THOSE
DECISIONS, IS IT REALISTIC TO
THINK SOMETHING WILL HAPPEN IN
THE NEXT TWO YEARS?
SEN. DONNELLY: I WAS PART OF A
GROUP OF 31 SENATORS THAT PUT
PROGRAMS IN PLACE THAT WOULD
HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED OUR
PREMIUMS, WHICH WOULD HAVE MADE
HEALTH CARE MORE AFFORDABLE.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT MIKE
BRAUN, RIGHT NOW AS WE ARE
SITTING HERE TODAY, SUPPORTS A
LAWSUIT THAT WOULD TAKE AWAY
COVERAGE FOR PRE-EXISTING
CONDITIONS.
THAT LAWSUIT, WHICH THE INDIANA
ATTORNEY GENERAL IS ALSO PART
OF, WOULD END COVERAGE FOR
PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS,
REIMPOSE CAPS SO THERE IS A
MAXIMUM LIMIT OF HEALTH CARE YOU
CAN GET IN YOUR LIFETIME.
I WAS THE DECIDING VOTE TO HELP
SAVE HEALTH CARE, AND THAT IS
WHAT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
THAT ALL OF OUR FAMILY CAN GET,
BASIC, DECENT HEALTH CARE AT A
REASONABLE COST.
SCOTT: TO THE QUESTION, WITH THE
PRESIDENT IN PLACE AND KNOWING
WHERE HE STANDS ON THIS, IS IT
REALISTIC TO THINK SOMETHING
COULD HAPPEN IN THE TWO YEARS?
SEN. DONNELLY: ABSOLUTELY.
I HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE THE MOST
BIPARTISAN SENATOR SERVING IN
THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
I'VE WORKED WITH THE PRESIDENT
ON ISSUE AFTER ISSUE AFTER
ISSUE, AND I STAND READY TO HELP
HIM, TO HELP MAKE SURE WE CAN
GET THIS ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.
WE HAVE PROGRAMS LIKE COST
SHARING WHICH WERE IN PLACE, E
NDED BY EXECUTIVE ORDER, THAT 31
SENATORS, I WAS ONE OF THEM,
HAVE COME TOGETHER TO PUT
TOGETHER A PLAN WE CAN PITCH THE
PRESIDENT.
HOPEFULLY HE WILL SEE IT MAKES
SENSE, AND HAVE THAT DONE.
SCOTT: LET'S RETURN TO THAT
ISSUE OF THE PRESIDENT, WHERE
YOU STAND ON SOME OF THE
POSITIONS HE HOLDS.
FIRST, THE THIRD TOPIC, THE
KAVANAUGH NOMINATION.
BRUISING ON BOTH SIDES, BY ALL
ACCOUNTS.
YOU WAITED LONGER THAN MOST TO
DECIDE.
IN THE END, YOU SAID IT CAME
DOWN IN MANY WAYS TO
TEMPERAMENT.
TEMPERAMENT ASIDE, WHEN YOU LOOK
AT HIS JUDICIAL RECORD, WAS THAT
THE KIND OF NOMINEE YOU LIKED?
WHAT YOU HAVE GOTTEN A YES
VOTE
HAD HE NOT HAD THAT TESTIMONY,
AT THE END?
SEN. DONNELLY: I TRY TO DO ALL
THE JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS THE
SAME WAY.
JUSTICE GORSUCH, WHO I VOTED
FOR, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FIRST
NOMINEE.
WE GO OVER THE TEMPERAMENT, THE
IMPARTIALITY, THE
QUALIFICATIONS, AND THEN MEET
WITH THE JUDGE PERSONALLY, SPEND
TIME REVIEWING HIS COURT
DECISIONS AND SPEECHES THAT HE
OR SHE HAS GIVEN, AND THEN WATCH
THE TESTIMONY.
JUDGE KAVANAUGH, WHO MET WITH
ME, THAT WAS VERY DIFFERENT FROM
THE JUDGE KAVANAUGH AT THE
COMMITTEE HEARINGS.
WITH JUSTICE GORSUCH, THE
JUSTICE THAT I MET WITH WAS
EXACTLY THE SAME, SO MY MAIN
CONCERNS WERE ABOUT TEMPERAMENT
AND IMPARTIALITY.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO SAY, I'M VERY
HOPEFUL THAT HE WILL DO A GOOD
JOB.