Grassley, Judge spar over Social Security, Obamacare

DES MOINES - Republican Chuck Grassley and Democrat Patty Judge sparred Friday over preserving and protecting Social Security, reworking or repealing Obamacare and raising the federal minimum wage during their second and final debate in Iowa's U.S. Senate race.

The two face each other in Tuesday's election, with the winner elected to a six-year term.

Grassley, 83, a six-term incumbent from New Hartford, called Social Security a program that is part of the American fabric that needs to be preserved for future generations, saying it will take bipartisan agreement that requires all issues to be part of the good-faith negotiations.

Judge, 73, a former Iowa lieutenant governor, agriculture secretary and state senator, said she favors taking the cap off Social Security so people making more than $118,000 a year would pay tax into the system as a way to keep the program solvent.

Grassley said the tax issue, retirement age thresholds and benefit levels would be among the points of discussion in finding a workable solution. Judge said she would oppose attempts to privatize Social Security investments in the stock market.

When moderators for the hourlong debate - carried live on two Iowa radio stations with a local TV simulcast - asked the candidates how they would address rising health care costs and control prescription drug prices, Grassley said he would start by scrapping the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare.

'Obamacare is a disaster. It must be repealed and replaced. I don't know how my opponent can support it as the disaster that it is,” Grassley said.

Grassley said he would keep protections for pre-existing conditions and allow children to stay on their parents' plan up to age 26, but he would end the employer mandate, encourage health savings accounts and implement medical malpractice reform.

Judge said the Affordable Care Act is off to a 'good start” by benefiting 50,000 Iowans who did not have health insurance coverage and were being treated by high-cost emergency room visits.

She said she would preserve the positive elements and make 'some corrections” to strengthen the program, 'not use it as a political football.”

'We need to put down the politics and make it work,” Judge said, noting it is not unusual for a new system to undergo adjustments to correct problems.

She and Grassley said they would allow competition for health insurance across state lines, and Judge said she would make sure rising costs were not due to excessive executive salaries 'gouging” the system.

Grassley countered that if Obamacare 'is so great,” why are millions of Americans still uninsured, and those with insurance are seeing premiums spiral out of control with double-digit rate hikes?

Turning to the economy, Grassley said he would support pro-growth measures to lower an uncompetitive corporate tax, cut individual income taxes and look to expand exports that provide good-paying jobs. He also said his early work on the wind energy tax credit paved the way for a new industry supporting 7,000 jobs in Iowa.

Judge contended many people besides Grassley deserve credit for expanding Iowa's wind energy industry, which she said made major strides during the Chet Culver administration when she was lieutenant governor.

For her part, Judge said she favored raising taxes on America's richest 1 percent so they pay their fair share and increasing the federal minimum wage, which Grassley opposed.