Jon Ossoff, Mike Collins in Georgia Senate debate

[0:00] good evening i'm rick fulbaum moderator of tonight's u.s senate debate the questions [0:05] asked during tonight's debate will come from a panel of gray media journalists [0:09] representing every region across georgia tonight's broadcast will run 60 minutes [0:14] with four segments each about 15 minutes in order to have a thoughtful and civil debate [0:19] these are the rules that both campaigns have agreed to panelists will ask their questions to [0:24] one or both candidates the candidates will be given 60 seconds to answer with 30 seconds allowed [0:30] for rebuttals at my discretion we'll begin with a 60-second opening statement and we'll end with a [0:36] 60-second closing statement from each candidate to read the complete debate rules go to atlantanewsfirst.com [0:43] slash debate and i will be here to enforce the rules tonight we begin with opening statements [0:48] from each of the candidates we held a coin toss prior to the debate to decide who would go first [0:53] congressman collins won the toss and elected to have the final word tonight senator ossoff will [0:58] you begin your opening statement well rick thank you so much for bringing us together thanks to gray [1:03] media and congressman good to be here with you democrats independents and republicans are uniting [1:10] behind my senate campaign just like we united georgians to cap the cost of insulin at 35 dollars [1:17] to take on big tech companies and force them to report online predators who target our kids [1:24] and tonight a united georgia will hear the trial of mike collins mike collins has brought dishonor to our [1:33] state through his personal bigotry and his widely documented ties to white nationalists and he's sold [1:41] out georgia in his pathetic childlike devotion to donald trump voting for the tariffs that have sent groceries [1:48] soaring voting for the health care cuts that have doubled your insurance premiums and voting for the [1:54] war that sent diesel to its record high we'll hear tonight if the congressman can defend those votes [2:00] i doubt he'll have the courage to do so thank you very much congressman collins your opening statement [2:06] good evening i'm mike collins and i'm asking for your vote because right now georgia doesn't have a voice [2:13] in the senate you see georgia's where i built my business it's where i raised my family it's where i [2:19] learned the hard lessons that helped me to deliver every day in washington but my opponent is a radical [2:26] and he has left our state less safe more expensive and worse off he's an extremist [2:33] who's voted for men to go in girls sports he's opposed the forgotten men and women who just want [2:39] to keep more of their tips their overtime and their social security in two years i worked across the [2:44] aisles to get two bills signed by two presidents of different parties one to fight these synthetic [2:50] drugs that are killing our kids the other lake and riley act that has has removed over 20 000 [2:56] illegal criminals from our streets if you send me to the senate i'll work with whoever i need to to [3:01] get results and i won't sell out our values doing it gentlemen thank you both let's move on now to [3:09] questions the first one comes from savannah's wtoc anchor mike sila mike georgia families are stuck [3:16] paying high prices for groceries utilities and everyday essentials people are putting in the work [3:21] but still falling behind congressman collins if elected to the senate what is your plan to help [3:26] families make ends meet and senator ossoff if democrats take control of the senate what is your plan [3:32] to bring immediate relief to georgia families congressman you have 60 seconds yes uh first of all let's [3:37] look back and see where this came from my opponent voted for those bidenomics that caused this [3:43] historic inflation not just on gas and gas is too high and we're bringing that down but on everything [3:48] that you purchase out there he's the one that voted for that green new deal he doesn't want your gas to [3:53] go down he doesn't even want you having gasoline automobiles he wants you riding on mass transit [3:57] but what we need to do is continue to make sure that we become energy independent here we we continue to [4:03] make sure that young people have opportunities make sure that that port down there is widened and [4:08] deepened in savannah so that we can bring goods in as well as export goods out for other countries senator [4:16] senator ossoff excuse me you have 60 seconds these tariffs are crushing our state and we'll repeal those [4:26] tariffs and i'd like to hear the congressman explain why he voted for them over and over and over again [4:33] it costs more today than at any time in american history to stock your fridge to fill up your truck [4:43] to power your home diesel is up 70 percent since donald trump was elected president ground beef and coffee [4:52] are up 30 percent these tariffs have crushed families and small businesses and georgia agriculture [4:59] the war in iran has sent gas prices near their all-time high unleaded's four dollars in georgia diesel [5:07] six dollars in georgia coastal georgia relies on trade i'd like to hear the congressman right now [5:14] explain to georgia voters how these tariffs are helping us thank you gentlemen i just want to remind [5:20] you both of the rules that your campaigns have agreed to the candidates will not ask questions of each [5:25] other those questions will come from our journalists here and the next question comes from anchor rosalyn [5:30] giles with wtbm in columbus thank you rick congressman collins you've pointed to the biden era inflation [5:37] reduction act which senator ossoff voted for as the root cause of inflation but that law passed four years [5:43] ago last year you voted for the working families tax cut act also known as the one big beautiful bill [5:50] can you point to one measurable outcome from that bill that's helping alleviate costs of living [5:55] concerns for georgians congressman 60 seconds yes ma'am you know i believe in keeping more money in [6:01] the private sector in people's pockets that one bill allowed families to keep over three thousand [6:06] dollars a year child care credit credit wasn't gone it didn't go away they kept that 100 depreciation [6:14] on equipment on capitalized equipment those things funnel back into our economy and cause this economy to [6:20] grow that bidenomics that green new deal that my opponent voted for that's where all this inflation [6:28] came from we've got to continue to to give back to energy independence the first thing that the biden [6:33] administration and my opponent and the democrats did was kill the keystone pipeline that alone would [6:38] have helped keep this energy cost down but he didn't you know instead he wanted to keep the borders wide open [6:45] so that we had fentanyl coming across this border no one has ever asked or held john ossoff accountable [6:52] for any of his votes or the reasons why why did he i had to write a bill to fight these synthetic drugs [6:59] because he left that border open and allowed this stuff to just funnel into our country killing these [7:05] young people congressman thank you senator ossoff you voted against the big beautiful bill what is your [7:10] plan to bring financial relief to georgians we're going to repeal the tariffs we're going to end this [7:17] disastrous war in iran we're going to repeal those medicaid cuts that have defunded hospitals and nursing [7:23] homes across georgia if you want to understand whether the trump collins budget has helped you just [7:31] go fill up a tank of gas go to the grocery store try to buy food for your kids look at your electric bill [7:38] this week look at your health insurance premiums they've doubled for more than a million georgians [7:45] the predictable results of these disastrous policies and rick i'm not asking the congressman a question [7:53] i'm making a statement georgia voters deserve to know why he voted over and over and over again [8:01] for those tariffs georgia voters deserve an explanation how have these tariffs helped us that's a question [8:09] that congressman collins should answer right now if he has the courage to do so let's hear it thank [8:15] you senator congressman collins republicans campaign on cutting wasteful washington spending [8:20] but the congressional budget office reported just tonight the federal deficit climbed to two trillion [8:26] dollars this past fiscal year up more than 200 billion from last year if tax cuts and deregulation [8:33] are the answer why is the national debt and the federal deficit continuing to balloon [8:38] on your party's watch you know tax cuts are the answer to keeping more money back in people's pockets [8:46] that in turn when you keep money in the private sector it turns over another five six seven times [8:53] and what that does what does that do that that creates more taxes it more tax paying people [8:59] and businesses grow but my opponent doesn't get that my my opponent's a trust fund kid who's never had [9:05] a job in his life he doesn't understand that he doesn't understand business that's okay yeah and [9:12] it's we continue to become more independent as we we continue to make sure that we have a fair shot for [9:18] america it should be america first it it we have bowed down to the rest of this world and took it from from [9:26] companies or countries charging us tariffs over and over again we shouldn't be doing that we should set it [9:33] up to where we have the advantage and you should always have america first you know but i think i [9:38] think that people in this state need to know some things about my opponent why he left that border wide [9:44] oh congressman i'm going to have to stop you there we'll get to that i want to give senator ossoff a [9:48] chance at a rebuttal there were some charges leveled at you you have 30 seconds well the chance the [9:52] question was about the stewardship of tax dollars and as we stand here today rick congressman mike collins [10:00] is under federal investigation for the illegal misuse of tax dollars for illegally funneling [10:07] public money to his violent staffer's girlfriend and he refused to testify in that matter the office [10:14] of congressional conduct had to recommend that he be subpoenaed we haven't gotten an answer on the [10:18] tariffs i'd like an answer why he refused to testify congressman collins you have 30 seconds for a [10:23] rebuttal there that ethics complaint is bogus anybody can file one it is a nothing burger [10:29] it is it is election season and and my opponent the democrats they wanted to ride this thing through [10:35] the election matter of fact i look forward to the day they need to release all of that go ahead and [10:39] release the ethics committee needs to release the the information and clear my name now because that's [10:45] all they're doing he can't talk on his record y'all you don't hear him talk about his record all he [10:50] wants to do is slander and try to slam me senator ossoff you criticize republican tax cuts for driving up the [10:57] debt but during your first two years in washington you voted for trillions of dollars in spending [11:02] as the national debt climbed to pass 31 trillion if debt is a threat to our economic future why did [11:08] you vote to expand it when your party controlled the budget thank you so much for the question rick [11:13] look one of the things that we did was pass the bipartisan infrastructure law to pull lead pipes out [11:19] of drinking water systems across georgia expand broadband internet upgrade every seaport [11:25] and airport in the state of georgia that's the kind of program that supports our economic development [11:31] but right now with this disastrous war in the middle east congressman collins voted seven times [11:38] for the war in iran seven times with these tariffs crushing international trade driving grocery prices [11:45] to all-time highs these health care cuts that have doubled health insurance premiums for more [11:51] than a million georgians our economy is being strangled by donald trump and mike collins economic [11:57] record we're now almost 12 minutes into this debate we still haven't heard an explanation of how the [12:03] tariffs are helping georgia families georgians deserve to know why someone who wants to serve them in the [12:11] senate voted over and over for these tariffs thank you senator up next anchor will rio from wrdw [12:18] in augusta will well this question is for both candidates georgia has lost 1.2 million acres of [12:24] farmland since 1985 and farmers in east georgia faced weather related losses from hurricane helene [12:30] if elected what farm bill priorities would you fight for to help family farms stay profitable [12:36] and keep food prices stable for consumers senator ossoff you have 60 seconds you know just a couple [12:41] weeks ago the republican chairman of georgia's peanut commission endorsed my campaign i've delivered [12:50] for georgia farmers when georgia pecan growers came to me they told me that india had put a 100 [12:55] percent tariff on georgia pecans i got to work and got the indians to cut that tariff by 70 percent [13:03] but right now family farms in georgia are getting crushed a third of the world's fertilizer flows through [13:13] the strait of hormuz diesel prices are at their all-time high in american history under mike collins [13:22] and donald trump it costs more than ever to buy a tractor for your farm or to plant an acre of [13:30] cotton we still haven't heard an explanation for the tariffs i'd like for the congressman also to [13:36] explain to the folks across georgia how this disastrous war has been a success congressman collins [13:42] you have 60 seconds thank you you know uh agriculture is the number one industry in this state [13:49] and nobody works smarter or harder than our american farmer and and they deserve our help [13:56] because a lot of times the playing field is not fair we put them in bad situations we sure do we [14:02] don't produce our own stuff here we don't produce our own fertilizer here because they've been chased [14:06] overseas and we had to import it you know when i think about our farmers and i look back it was just [14:13] this time last year last year the john ossoff shut the government down for 48 days he shut it down [14:21] y'all right when we were trying to get that emergency money out for hurricane helene so that [14:26] our farmers and our small communities could could repair and prepare for this year's this year's harvest [14:32] oh no he he didn't care about that he shut it down because he wanted to defund border patrol and [14:40] ice and georgia we deserve to know why he left that border wide open so that child trafficking could [14:46] come across that border thank goodness we didn't shut our border patrol down in ice sir because they [14:51] have been out there collecting those young people thank you sir back to their families i want to give [14:55] the senator 30 seconds for a rebuttal well the question was about georgia agriculture and if you [15:00] go to south georgia right now and you talk to any farmer in our state they will tell you that diesel prices [15:06] are crushing them they will tell you that they are bearing the brunt of global retaliation for this [15:13] trade war these tariffs are crushing georgia's economy and they're crushing georgia agriculture [15:20] it's the war and the tariffs destroying our farm economy and georgians deserve answers from the [15:26] congressman that concludes our first segment debate night live is just getting started we will be right [15:32] back with more questions and answers from senator john ossoff and congressman mike collins [15:37] democratic incumbent senator john ossoff and republican congressman mike collins taking center [15:43] stage in the race for u.s senate our next question comes from atlanta news first statewide reporter [15:47] abby kasouris abby hospitals across georgia are on the financial edge in hawkinsville taylor regional [15:54] asked for a city loan just to stay afloat and doctors are reportedly leaving for warner robbins more [15:59] than an hour away if you're elected what is one specific action you'll take to keep er's like taylor [16:05] regionals open statewide senator ossoff you have 60 seconds we're going to repeal the disastrous [16:12] medicaid cuts that mike collins voted to pass look when you all elected me to the senate i took [16:18] on the drug companies to cap the cost of insulin at 35 dollars mike collins and donald trump passed the [16:27] biggest medicaid cut in history a hospital in mike collins own district had to shut down its labor and [16:34] delivery units citing those medicaid cuts how can a sitting congressman vote to shut down a labor and [16:43] delivery unit in his own district delivering mothers in mike collins district now have to drive [16:49] an hour to get to a labor and delivery unit while they're in labor when we already have a maternal [16:54] mortality crisis not to mention health insurance premiums have doubled for more than a million georgians [17:02] 300 000 have lost their insurance all together and georgians deserve an explanation why the congressman [17:08] voted to double your health insurance premiums congressman collins you have 60 seconds yeah a lot [17:13] to unpack here rural hospitals major problems that's why in the uh the the bill the working families tax cut [17:20] plan we put 218 billion dollars in there for rural hospitals 93 million of us already been submitted or to [17:27] georgia through 87 counties you know the problem is and john isoff won't understand this because he [17:33] doesn't have to worry about health care he doesn't have to worry about trying to to buy health care [17:38] insurance for his family he never will but the problem started way back under obamacare the affordable [17:45] care act you know i was in the private sector then i remember that first year my insurance going up 62 [17:52] 22 and from that day forward i saw our our rural hospitals start to close or swap over to swing beds [17:59] because they couldn't handle the mandates that were being pushed on them when you let the federal [18:03] government take over health care which is what at the end of the day john isoff wants to do to you [18:09] then this is what you get you get high insurance inflated prices and you get hospitals that are closing [18:16] every day thank you congressman senator you have 30 seconds you know what's tragic about this is that we [18:21] were warned the congressional budget office warned us that if they passed this bill health insurance [18:28] premiums would skyrocket that if they passed this bill rural hospitals would have to close down services [18:33] it's a hospital in your own district mike and now a delivering mother has to drive an hour to get to a [18:39] facility where she can deliver safely it's a disgrace you still haven't explained it and you haven't [18:44] explained why you voted to double your own constituents health insurance premiums congressman 30 seconds [18:49] 30 seconds the affordable care act is what has caused your insurance to go sky high our premiums [18:56] have gone through the roof and the coverage has gone through the floor john would never understand [19:00] that though i get it he doesn't he doesn't have to worry about paying for that but i have been out [19:05] there with my rural hospitals that's why he voted against giving these hospitals that that much needed [19:10] money he if anybody should answer for anything john isoff should answer for why he was not willing to [19:17] help out these rural hospitals survive because at what happens is i'd like if you don't have rural [19:22] hospitals in these congressmen we're out of time you won't have i'd like to respond congressman we're [19:26] out of time uh we're going to stay on this topic gentlemen i want to go to rosalyn is that all we need [19:31] to do is just raise our hands and excuse me pardon me sir we're going to move on to the next question [19:35] rosalyn giles has it go ahead rosalyn senator ossoff you voted to extend affordable care act subsidies [19:41] nine times but what is your plan to lower the underlying cost of care and insurance premiums [19:47] not just subsidize existing costs it requires price transparency it also requires medicaid expansion [19:54] here in georgia it's why we need a medicaid expanding governor keisha lance bottoms here in georgia [20:00] to address our state's health care emergency but what you're talking about the affordable care act [20:06] benefits that congressman mike collins voted to let lapse and again we were warned members of congress [20:13] like mike they knew exactly what that vote would do to you so when you get home and you get that letter [20:20] from your insurance company and you just came from the grocery store where you couldn't buy ground beef [20:25] for your kids because of the tariffs and you could only fill up half a tank of gas because of the war and [20:31] you open the notice from your insurance company and your premiums have doubled [20:35] this man is responsible for that and he still refuses tonight to explain why he voted to double [20:43] your health insurance premiums and i think that's disqualifying for a candidate for u.s senate let's [20:47] see if he has the courage to explain his votes senator thank you congressman collins what is your plan [20:53] to lower the underlying cost of care and insurance premiums yeah you know when you talk about these [20:57] subsidies the only people getting rich on these subsidies are our health insurance carriers out there [21:03] we've seen their their stock go through the roof thousands of percent uh what we need to do is [21:08] make sure that there is more transparency we need to make sure that people pay a fair price for drugs [21:13] that's uh drugs trump rx is doing a great job with that you also need to make sure that we're most [21:18] favored nation status with pricing that we're not subsidizing the rest of the world with our drug prices [21:25] out there but uh you talk about these medicaid subsidies all that was passed uh under the biden [21:31] administration with john ossoff that was to cover the the covet the covet period if they wanted it [21:38] permanent they could have voted for it right then but they didn't and that's because they realized they [21:44] know this that all that ever happens is the only people that get subsidized are our insurance companies [21:50] and they make more money off of you and me while our insurance coverage goes down we have a lot of [21:55] ground to cover we're going to move on to the next question mike selah from wtoc go ahead mike well this [22:00] question is for both candidates massive new data center projects are receiving a lot of backlash [22:05] including the proposed 20 billion dollar open ai facility in effingham county they require immense [22:11] amounts of energy and water how will you ensure that the massive strain on our power grid does not result [22:17] in higher monthly utility bills for georgia families and small businesses congressman collins 60 seconds [22:22] yeah sure you know i've said this from the beginning i'm very much in favor local control local people [22:29] know what needs to be in their communities and what doesn't and and we need to make sure that their [22:35] infrastructure is not destroyed that uh either that's electric or water they know that if you want [22:42] a data center in your in your area when i'm the u.s center i'll help you fight to get one if you don't [22:47] i'll help make sure that you don't get that but you know what john ossoff he's got his major donor one [22:53] of his mega donors is data center billionaire reed hoffman also one of epstein's buddies out there has [23:00] has funneled money into his campaign he's got to answer to those people he doesn't have to answer to [23:05] local people senator ossoff you have 60 seconds first of all no georgia family or small business should [23:11] pay a dime more to subsidize the energy consumption of these data centers no local community should have these [23:18] data centers imposed on them but that same budget bill we've been discussing all night the one that [23:24] slashed medicaid the one that doubled your health insurance premiums it also gave 70 billion dollars [23:32] of your money to data center developers just think about this when you are paying more for your health [23:39] insurance when a hospital in your community is closing down mike collins voted to take that money [23:46] out of your pocket and out of your community and give it instead to data center developers and [23:52] that's the problem mike it's not just that you've hired half the third reich to staff your congressional [23:57] office and you have promoted neo-nazi content online it's that you're robbing your constituents [24:02] to subsidize your donors i want to know if you will commit to voting to repeal that data center tax [24:07] scam that you voted for let's hear an answer congressman 30 seconds rick you know i'm i'm all for [24:12] the ratepayer protection plan we need to make sure that that whatever happens that those local [24:17] communities don't take an impact these data centers need to pay they need to make sure that [24:21] they support the communities that they're going in and we're seeing that and we're seeing good [24:26] results from that but where they don't need to be they the people don't want them they don't need [24:30] to be there but you talk about data center developers getting money my goodness reed hoffman [24:36] reed hoffman big billionaire data center developer turned around funneled money right into john [24:41] ossoff's campaign maxed that to him and then put over a million dollars thank you sir we're going [24:46] to move on to the next question we're going to move on to the next question from telemundo atlanta [24:50] anchor adamar montagna adamar thank you rick center off soft police use automated license [24:56] place readers across georgia what federal privacy guard rails must exist to prevent unwarranted tracking [25:02] thank you so much for the question we urgently need a federal privacy law to protect our privacy [25:11] from big tech companies who spy on us on our phones and social media to protect us from flock [25:17] cameras that are being improperly accessed by folks who are using that information to target innocent [25:23] people artificial intelligence makes it even more important that we pass a federal privacy law [25:30] but i don't know if you saw just this week donald trump said he likes flock cameras he wants them [25:36] everywhere he wants you to be spied on he doesn't care about your privacy he put a flock camera on every [25:42] block if he could maybe tonight mike collins will have the courage to buck the president on this [25:48] does he agree with donald trump that we want flock cameras everywhere or will he join me in demanding [25:54] respect for americans privacy and constitutional rights congressman i'd like to give you 30 seconds [26:00] to respond uh yeah i thought i had a minute all right okay well anyway yes 30 seconds uh flock cameras [26:07] uh if they're being abused they're they shouldn't be out there and they are being abused if we're going [26:12] to use them then we need to have a warrant to access that information otherwise we don't need [26:17] the flock camera system i'm a firm believer in privacy laws out there and protecting your private [26:23] lights but uh you know i i think that the senator has a lot to answer for too you know he's he's still [26:29] yet to answer for farmers on why he shut this government down right when they needed that that [26:33] that hurricane helene money congressman thank you our next question comes from reporter mariah norman [26:39] with walb in albany mariah this question is for congressman collins there are safety concerns with [26:46] artificial intelligence but ai also leads to tech growth here in georgia and nationally how would you [26:54] balance regulation of ai while allowing georgians and americans to benefit from this emerging technology [27:01] congressman collins now you have 60 seconds yeah thank you i got it now uh yeah sure we're in a race [27:07] with ai we're in a race against china for ai uh you know what what china actually wants is domination [27:15] over the entire world it doesn't matter if it's economically it doesn't matter if it's military [27:20] it just whatever and and to have the the potential that ai can can provide for americans and it already [27:27] is it's great but we we need to make sure that we we protect our citizens we need to make sure that [27:33] there's not an overreach uh with these ai centers that are out there and make sure that they're not [27:39] they're not prying on you and spying on you uh that it what happens is what they need to do and [27:45] that's make our life uh more efficient and more productive thank you congressman and candidates [27:51] that's all for this particular segment we're going to move on after a quick break debate night live [27:55] continues right after this the next question is for you senator yesterday was the three-year mark [28:02] since the october 7 terror attack in israel israel's response has led to a major divide in your party [28:08] with many prominent democrats accusing israel of committing genocide you yourself voted to block [28:14] a shipment of arms to israel seen by many in atlanta's jewish community as a betrayal do you believe [28:20] israel is guilty of committing genocide are you alarmed by the growing anti-israel sentiment within your party [28:26] and will you vote yes or no on the administration's latest 2.8 billion dollar weapons package for israel [28:33] and you have 60 seconds thank you rick the question of genocide is a question of whether a government [28:41] has the specific intent to destroy a national or ethnic group and that is a question for the [28:47] international criminal court there is no doubt in my mind that israeli forces prosecuting the war in gaza [28:54] violated the law of armed conflict and international humanitarian law and i care deeply about the [29:02] security of the israeli people among whom are members of my family i also care about innocent [29:08] palestinian life and make no apology for my votes but congressman mike collins wants to sanction and [29:16] defund the international criminal court his view is that there should not be accountability [29:22] for crimes against humanity no matter who commits them and that's because the congressman [29:26] is deeply disconnected from our state's tradition of civil rights and human rights thank you senator [29:34] congressman collins i'd like to give you 30 seconds to respond yeah you know george i think i'm putting [29:38] this puzzle together pretty good for you you know oh john ossoff has been out there and recruited [29:43] supported and endorsed this abdul el saeed he hates israel loves iran that's his pick he's moved as far [29:51] left as he can go as a matter of fact it's hassan piker also the same way he's out there and he's he's [29:57] endorsed john ossoff for president for 2028 so that's where his stance is don't let him fool you he [30:03] talks one way and he votes another way congressman collins i need to have the opportunity to respond [30:09] to that excuse me senator i'm sorry congressman collins your opponent rarely mentions your name [30:14] without calling you a bigot though many feel you have not adequately addressed the fact that your son-in-law [30:21] is a white supremacist social media influencer and several members of your staff have been linked to [30:26] racism and anti-semitism take georgia voters to your family dinner table what specifically have [30:33] you said to your daughter and son-in-law about his posts and will you once and for all denounce [30:39] white supremacy you have 60 seconds you know rick that's my family that's uh the the the craziness [30:46] that john ossoff has been spewing out there i actually had a crazy person get put in jail this [30:51] weekend because he not only wanted to kill my son-in-law but he wanted to kill me and you're exactly [30:57] right i've got a daughter and grandkids there as well as my wife i've condemned racism anti-semitism [31:04] hate i don't care where the source is and i tell him that too it's wrong we have no no place in this [31:11] world for that but i've never heard him say a word about his dsa pick up there abdul el saeed hassan [31:18] piker how about reid hoffman none of those he doesn't denounce anybody or anything or condemn them [31:25] because he's part of them but yet he wants to take that and spew that on me that's not me when [31:31] i had things happen i'm a businessman i fired them i got rid of them don't need them senator 30 seconds [31:38] imagine running for the u.s senate while neo-nazi propaganda is disseminated to an audience of [31:45] millions from your home that's mike collins and it's not just those around him mike collins himself [31:51] has amplified neo-nazi propaganda online mike collins office intervened at the department of [31:57] justice on behalf of a holocaust denier while his office was in cahoots with some of the nation's [32:02] most notorious white supremacists mike collins is a bigot and it's disqualifying for a candidate for [32:08] the u.s senate congressman 30 seconds yeah imagine being a u.s senator and out there recruiting endorsing [32:15] and supporting these people that want to see israel wiped off the map that would say that they would [32:20] rather be for iran than for israel that that's who john ossoff is supporting he has yet to say [32:26] anything about that just like john ossoff has yet to say anything about why he voted to raise your [32:31] taxes he wanted to see your taxes double matter he he wants to see all your taxes at the end of what [32:37] they're looking for is to have control over your life why does he feel like that you don't have to [32:42] have your money in your pocket that they can spend it better congressman thank you very much [32:47] atlanta news first statewide reporter abby kasouris has our next question abby this question is for [32:52] both of you georgia has been at the center of fights over voting rules and election administration [32:57] what voting rules should be left to georgia to decide and when if ever should the federal [33:02] government step in senator 60 seconds well look georgia has voter id and that's good mike collins [33:11] and donald trump they're still obsessed with overturning the 2020 election mike collins still [33:17] believes the 2020 election was stolen mike collins has supported donald trump's effort to overturn the [33:22] election and he wants to give your tax dollars to the violent thugs and criminals who sacked the u.s [33:29] capital on january 6th mike collins is attacking your voting rights but that's not a surprise when you [33:35] consider who mike collins is this is a man who cheered on a group of young men who were mocking a [33:42] black woman on a college campus with monkey sounds if john lewis were marching today from selma to [33:49] montgomery mike collins would be grabbing a billy club his office has been in cahoots with some of the [33:56] most notorious white supremacists on the country he himself has amplified neo-nazi propaganda he's never [34:04] apologized for it and he should tonight congressman collins you have 60 seconds yeah you know i'll [34:10] say this voters need confidence they they need to know y'all we live in the the the best country in [34:17] the world and there's no reason that we shouldn't have the most secure elections in the world john [34:23] ossoff has voted against the save act numerous times georgia you're right has has a voter id law [34:31] and we've seen historic people amounts of people that have voted since that has been in place [34:37] but we need that across the country there's no reason that you shouldn't have to show an id to [34:42] go in and vote my goodness john ossoff requires you to show an id to show up at his rally but he [34:48] doesn't think you need to do that to go vote people will go vote when they have confidence in our [34:54] elections until then it is hard and they just want to make sure that it is a fair equitable election out [35:01] there congressman thank you very much mike selah is up next go ahead mike this question is for both [35:08] candidates how should the united states handle trade tariffs and economic competition with china [35:13] without hurting georgia's manufacturing sector and the cargo volume at the port of savannah [35:19] congressman 60 seconds yeah you know uh savannah port and brunswick port both have been uh [35:24] have been uh on my mind as a matter of fact i'm chairman of water resource environment subcommittee [35:29] one of the first things i did was go down to brunswick and make sure that [35:32] that that place has not been fully dredged since 2015. make sure that they got that done and [35:37] they've gotten that now we don't have to bring in half loads or take out half of loads went up to [35:42] savannah and made sure that they got that study to where they could widen and deepen that that is such [35:47] a huge impact on the state of georgia and it's causing where we'll have an economic boom not only just [35:53] bringing goods in but being able to ship goods out because the tariffs now are making it fair and making [36:01] sure just like the fellow i talked about to with two days ago that said he was getting his brains [36:05] beat in because china was bringing in the same goods he was manufacturing right here in puttinham county [36:11] and he couldn't compete with them because they don't care if they don't make money see john ossoff [36:16] doesn't know he still won't answer why he voted to raise your taxes and not let you keep more money [36:22] thank you congress federal government is thank you congressman senator ossoff you have 60 seconds [36:26] well you just heard mike collins say the tariffs are working go buy groceries [36:33] no one in this state seriously believes these tariffs are working congressman it's been a [36:38] disaster and so has this war a war by the way that we were lied into they told us last year that [36:47] they'd obliterated iran's nuclear program this year they told us it posed an imminent threat so on top of [36:54] the tariffs now we have eight months of war 18 americans killed in action hundreds wounded iran still has [37:03] its uranium iran still has its drones and missiles diesels at an all-time high unleaded gas is at four dollars [37:12] so we've heard from the congressman that he thinks the tariffs are working i think the congressman deserves [37:18] an opportunity to say whether he believes this war has been a success thank you very much let's move on [37:26] will rio has the next question go ahead will senator ossoff you sit on the senate intelligence committee [37:31] how do we counter foreign adversaries without triggering retaliatory trade embargoes on georgia [37:37] farm exports well thank you for the question and it is georgia farmers who have been crushed by [37:44] retaliation for these tariffs i mentioned earlier that when georgia pecan growers faced those massive [37:50] indian tariffs i sat down seven times with india's ambassador to the united states i led a trade [37:55] delegation i got them to agree to reduce those tariffs but as we speak right now it's georgia [38:01] farmers bearing the brunt of the mike collins donald trump tariffs just like it's georgia farmers [38:07] bearing the brunt of these high diesel prices it costs more than ever to buy a tractor for your farm [38:13] family farms are going under and this also was predictable just like it was predictable that his [38:20] votes would double health insurance premiums for more than a million georgians we knew what the [38:24] consequences of these tariffs would be and still he voted for but i'll tell you why it's because [38:29] whatever donald trump says mike collins does doesn't matter what it is doesn't think for himself [38:36] i'd like the congressman to say if there's a single time he has voted against donald trump [38:41] thank you senator abby kasuris has the next question for the congressman this is a question [38:45] for congressman collins and it's a long one so bear with me but after the hyundai battery plant raid [38:50] last year governor kemp and business leaders said that the incident exposed a problem with the u.s [38:55] visa system and called for change a year later that system has largely remained the same if you're [39:01] elected what specifically would you change about the federal visa policy to make sure companies [39:06] investing billions in georgia can bring in specialized workers legally without creating a loophole for [39:11] employers to replace american workers 60 seconds congress sure you know and and here's what i want [39:17] the american people to know there are so many parts of our federal government that are just antiquated [39:21] and the reason is it's because we don't do our job up there we don't pass appropriation bills and you [39:27] don't hold them accountable and you don't make the changes necessary and that's why you still see [39:32] problems we we don't go in and tell the federal government you got to fix it and they just continue [39:37] down the same road we need people coming into our country we need them coming in legally you know [39:42] john ossoff just mentioned on on service members out there you know he comes to georgia and he talks about [39:48] does does press conferences on on va home mortgages had nothing to do with that piece of legislation [39:53] he goes out and says that he he helped get the pay raise for our current active military no he voted [39:59] against that bill he also said that he was responsible voted for the the uh infrastructure improvements [40:05] at fort benning and fort stewart he voted against that bill as well he's coming to georgia he's telling [40:12] you one thing and he's going right back up there and he's voting a different way senator 30 seconds you [40:17] know when i talk to military families across the state they want to know that their government is [40:21] being honest with them about why we go to war so let's honor those service members as public officials [40:29] and tell them the truth this war has been a disaster 18 americans have been killed hundreds have been [40:38] wounded the president declared victory on day four of this conflict you want to support the troops [40:44] why don't you explain to georgians right now congressman how this war has been a success this [40:50] is your chance congressman i'll give you 30 seconds if you'd like to defend the war president had every [40:58] right to go in there and make sure that iran does not get a nuclear weapon john ossoff knows this the [41:04] iaea they had already sounded the bells the alarms that iran was close to getting a nuclear weapon and and [41:12] and the thing is iran doesn't only want to decimate and kill israel they want us as well we've been at war [41:18] with this regime for 47 years they've been killing american service members for 47 years and they [41:25] were this close to getting a nuclear weapon and they would have used it we would have lost thank you [41:30] congressman thank you gentlemen we're going to take one more break we will be right back with more [41:34] questions and answers in this 2026 u.s senate debate welcome back to debate night live the race for senate [41:43] our final segment begins with the question from adamar montagna this is both candidates immigrant [41:48] households generate more than 52 billion dollars in annual income and fill critical roles in georgia's [41:55] agriculture construction and manufactural industries analysts estimate large-scale deportations could cost [42:01] nearly 930 million dollars in state and local taxes how do you secure our borders and deport violent [42:09] offenders without starving georgia's farms and construction sites of needed labor congressman collins [42:14] 60 seconds yeah sure you know that border has been secure it is secure now people and then lowest rates [42:20] ever that's coming across and that's the way it should be you should come into this country legally period [42:26] do we need help yes we do you know we need h2a visas to be fixed they need to be there it gets back [42:33] to this federal bureaucracy it needs to be improved to where it's more efficient and more productive to get [42:38] these people in and out illegal immigrants though that john ossoff led into this country not only were [42:44] coming over here killing people and murdering people like lake and riley and he wouldn't shut the door on [42:49] it human trafficking that he just let continue to flow but they were also taking the jobs that young [42:55] people young americans could go out there and get and hampering them you want to give job give jobs to [43:03] americans and then you'll see your taxes continue to flow into this country and all their paychecks won't [43:08] be going back to the country that they came from to support their families back here they'll support [43:13] the young american families that are here senator 60 seconds georgians do expect and deserve secure [43:19] borders and that's why i worked with senator cornyn of texas to rush drug detection equipment to ports of [43:25] entry the georgians also expect their government to uphold basic standards of decency and human rights [43:33] and civil rights and what have we seen this last year and a half you know they promised to go after the [43:37] worst of the worst instead they've rounded up people at job sites with no suspicion of any criminal [43:44] history they've ripped breastfeeding infants from their mothers they've unleashed federal agents to [43:51] kill americans on the streets of our cities with impunity that's mike collins immigration policy and [43:57] that's what you would expect from the bigot congressman who called for executing immigrants by [44:03] throwing them to their deaths out of helicopters who still won't apologize for personally [44:11] amplifying neo-nazi propaganda and allowing it to be disseminated from his home senator thank you [44:17] congressman 30 seconds 30 seconds yeah last year this time farmers think about this john ossoff shut [44:25] the government down right when we were trying to get you that money out because you needed help [44:30] hurricane helena had decimated your farms and you needed help to make sure that you could get next [44:35] year's crops out what did he do he shut it down because he wanted to defund he wants to defund all law [44:41] enforcement but he wanted to defund border patrol and ice the people that are out there keeping us [44:47] safe and getting these illegal criminals off our streets and out of our country senator 30 seconds [44:53] you know to hear mike collins talk about honoring law enforcement when mike collins supports taking [44:59] your tax dollars and giving it to the people who assaulted police and sacked the united states capital on [45:07] january 6th to overturn that election mike collins is one of the most extreme members of congress he's [45:14] a trump puppet election denier i want to hear if mike still believes the 2020 election was stolen what do [45:20] you say mike senator thank you abby kasouris you have the next question congressman collins you authored [45:27] the lake and riley act which requires detention of certain immigrants charged with crimes as a u.s [45:32] senator what more would you do to ensure those who are legally subject to removal are actually [45:37] deported and communities aren't forced to pay for extended stay in georgia jails you know it's been [45:42] amazing i was uh i see i was i've been man we've been clocking two thousand miles of weeks for the [45:48] past couple of weeks i'm out across the state seeing people i'm not holed up in atlanta georgia [45:53] and run out and do a little press conference and uh talking about the lake and riley act uh talked [45:59] with a couple of da's and assistant da's and and they said mike because of the lake and riley act [46:05] that one little four-page piece of legislation which john ossoff never helped lift a finger to [46:10] get me pushed and kept that get across the finish line he could have passed it when john when joe [46:15] biden was the president but he didn't i mean at the end of the day he voted for it but what they're [46:20] telling me is mike we have people in our jails right now on ice detainers that otherwise we would [46:26] have had to have let go and they would be right back out there in the public committing crimes and [46:32] and continuing their criminal trades so it's been a great success we need to continue that to make [46:37] sure we need to continue to make sure that that border stays stays close down thank you come in [46:44] the right way rosalyn giles you have the next question thank you rick senator ossoff congressman [46:48] collins says you never supported the lake and riley act and only voted yes once passage was already [46:54] assured pointing to your march 2024 vote against a related procedural measure was your position genuinely [47:01] evolving or was this a political calculation timed to your reelection and what specific changes do you [47:07] want to see in the bill that you didn't get well mike collins knows that's a lie but listen folks again [47:15] what did they tell us they told us they were going to go after the worst of the worst they told us they [47:20] were going to target hardened criminals and immigration enforcement should focus on those who pose a threat to [47:27] public safety but that's not what they've done my office has been investigating abuses and ice detention [47:33] for the last year and a half we've documented more than 1 000 credible reports of human rights abuses [47:40] in ice detention facilities there was an infant who had to go into intensive care because that [47:48] child's mother was deported while that child was still breastfeeding these are human rights abuses [47:56] that mike collins and donald trump bear responsibility for remember they unleashed federal agents in american [48:04] cities wearing masks who killed american citizens and mike collins and donald trump should answer for [48:10] that thank you senator that concludes the question portion of tonight's debate we will end now with [48:15] closing statements from each of you congressman collins since you won the coin toss and elected to get [48:20] the last word senator ossoff will you begin your closing statement well rick thanks for having us thank you again [48:27] to gray media you know each time mike has called himself a trucker tonight you think he's cruising [48:33] down 85 behind the wheel this is a congressman's son who inherited a seat in congress who now runs his [48:41] daddy's trucking company who voted seven times for the war in iran who voted for the tariffs who voted to [48:47] cut your health care also he could give a tax break to data center developers and some of the wealthiest [48:54] people in the country his office has been in cahoots with some of the most notorious white supremacists in america [49:03] he's already brought disgrace to our state but i am so grateful to georgians for investing the trust in me to [49:11] represent georgia in the senate i've stood up to the drug companies to the big tech companies and to the insurance [49:18] companies who are denying us the care that we need when we need it and i humbly ask for your continued support in this [49:25] election thank you so much for having us congressman collins your closing statement yeah you know georgia [49:30] we still haven't heard why john ossoff votes the way he does why he votes almost 100 of the time [49:36] with bernie sanders why he voted against our farmers why he voted against hard-working georgians out there [49:44] why he's out there recruiting supporting endorsing these democrat socialist of america candidates [49:50] and being endorsed by hassan piker the guy that said that america deserved 9-11 but there's a reason [50:00] those aren't even georgia values those aren't even american values the reason is is because he doesn't represent us [50:06] he wants to take control of this country with these weird and dangerous ideas with his radical friends [50:14] listen help me get to the u.s senate help me get there and and i'll answer to georgia and i'll deliver [50:23] i'll i'll fight for our state not against it you vote for me and this old trucker thank you congressman [50:31] that concludes tonight's u.s senate debate early voting begins this coming tuesday october 13th election [50:36] day is november 3rd i'm rick fullbaum