WAUSAU, Wisconsin (WSAW) – On Thursday, candidates for U.S. Congressional District 7 spoke at a candidate forum at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point Wausau. NewsChannel 7 interviewed both incumbent Congressman Tom Tiffany and challenger Kyle Kilbourn about their stances on six political issues.

What would you like to change to address the mental health crisis?

Rep. Tiffany: “I think there could be more resources on mental health that could come from both the federal level and the state level. I think a lot of this is due to COVID. When we subject kids in school, especially K-12, to these onerous regulations and closures, we put them in a really bad situation, when in fact they are not affected by it in the same way as older people. So I think putting COVID in the rearview mirror and going from there is part of it.

Kilbourn: “For me, mental health is a, This is a topic near and dear to my heart. I had an uncle who grew up with schizophrenia and unfortunately he was shot because he did not comply with the police’s orders. “To me, that’s a very important issue where we need to make sure that we have equity in our healthcare system, so we’re treating not just physical illnesses, but mental illnesses as well.”

What needs to be done about border control and immigration?

Rep. Tiffany: “We must secure the border. So, first of all, the Biden-Harris administration can now ensure the security of the border if it wishes. They can do it tonight. They can do this tomorrow if they want. They overturned that with 94 executive actions as soon as they took office in 2021, and they can change it whenever they want. We have now passed a very good, secure border bill. HR2It died in the Senate, and I hope to see that come back one day. “We have to secure the border against the amount of fentanyl coming into our country, fentanyl poisonings, (and) ongoing human trafficking.”

Kilbourn: “I’ve said it from the beginning, we need strong borders. We must also ensure that we have the technology to stop the flow of fentanyl into our borders. We need to make sure we provide funding for border agents. “We also need to reform the immigration court system, making sure we have the funding to handle the growing backlog.”

What would you change about Wisconsin’s abortion laws?

Representative Tiffany: “I actually voted for the legislation that is currently in effect. So, five months later, the ban comes. I think this largely hits a middle ground. When I was in the state legislature six to seven years ago, Roe v. We agreed to this in case Wade was eliminated. I think this is a middle ground. I think most people don’t want to be at the extremes. I’m thankful that here in Wisconsin we don’t end up in a situation like some states where abortion is done until birth. I believe that abortion should not be performed in the last trimester. I think most people agree on this. *Two years ago, every Democrat in Congress voted for unrestricted abortion. Our neighbor in Minnesota has this. I think this is truly barbaric. I think there’s a better place for us. Given the current law in Wisconsin, where I voted, I think it was a good place to go. ”

*Editor’s note: PolitiFact rates “Every Senate Democrat voted to support unrestricted abortion up to the moment of birth.” WRONG.

Kilbourn: “At the federal level, Roe v. I think we should legalize the Wade case. To me, this supersedes Wisconsin law. “I think we need to make sure at the federal level that women have the ability to decide between themselves and their doctors.”

What is your stance on legalizing marijuana?

Rep. Tiffany: “I voted for a study on marijuana. Marijuana is much different, much more potent than it was 30 to 40 years ago. First of all, I’m very concerned about its use as a vector for fentanyl. Fentanyl is The number one killer of young people aged 18 to 45and marijuana is used to put fentanyl in it. Therefore, I think we need to be very careful about this. I voted for a study at the federal level because we know that marijuana affects the brain, especially among young men. “I think we need to do more research for states so they can make good decisions about what policy they want to implement regarding marijuana legalization.”

Kilbourn: “I came out as an advocate to make sure that marijuana, most states around us have already legalized it. “On the federal issue, I think we need to look at what needs to be done to make this legal.”

How do you plan to solve the affordable housing problem?

Representative Tiffany: “I think you’re dealing with affordable housing in a few different ways. One of them has to do with regulation. Twenty-five percent of the home cost is just soft costs. This has nothing to do with two-by-fours or garage doors or anything like that. This is just the regulations. Whether it’s zoning regulations or regulations from the federal level, this is how we can make home construction more affordable. I know at the federal level we can do (a) much better job of reducing regulations so we can, for example, harvest wood from our National Forest and do it more cheaply. It’s important to remember that when we have high energy costs, as we have in the last four years, this will always be passed on to the consumer, because the world runs on diesel fuel. “When you have this high-cost energy, everything is going to become more expensive, including home construction.”

Kilbourn: “This is an important issue for me as a project designer. I think there are many new technologies available today that we can benefit from. We are short of three to seven million houses in the country. I think there are a lot of things we can do to make sure we build more housing. There are many corporate companies that buy and sell housing and make huge profits. We need to stop this. I think there are things about tax credits that will allow people to go into their first home to get the wealth they need.

What can be done to cure drug addiction or fentanyl use?

Representative Tiffany: “We need to secure the border, especially on fentanyl. I’ve talked to border sheriffs in Arizona, and they will tell you this: The amount of fentanyl coming into the country has increased exponentially since the Biden-Harris administration opened the southern border. That’s why the first thing we need to do is secure the border. I think the second thing we need to do is meet the job requirements because we have some people who are choosing to make a living from other taxpayers. Estimates are that there are approximately 5 to 10 million healthy people who choose not to work. Some result in drug addiction. Work and a job is often the best way to get people out, whether it’s alcoholism or drug addiction. So I think a combination of these would be very helpful.

Kilbourn: “A lot of this has to do with mental health. We are talking about the diseases of despair. So the situation is bleak for many people in our rural areas. They don’t have the opportunities they need. So part of that is making sure we have opportunities to get to the root cause of things. We also need treatment centers. My opponent is out against the treatment center It was actually close to where I lived in Cassian. “We need treatment centers around the area so people can have those options.”

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