Ciscomani, Mendoza spar on economic issues and more in only debate

"I don't have any details on how that plan is supposed to work,'' Ciscomani said when asked about it by reporters after his televised debate with Democratic challenger JoAnna Mendoza Thursday night.

On one hand, Ciscomani said the nation has "a high rising national debt that we need to take very seriously.'' Analysts have put the price tag for what the president proposed Wednesday at a convention of Republicans in Dallas in the neighborhood of $1.3 trillion.

But Ciscomani, hoping to be reelected to a third two-year term in a swing district that could make it one of the closest congressional races in the country, also said he is "always going to be open'' to any plan "that puts more money in Americans' pockets versus the government keeping that.''

Mendoza, his Democratic foe, said the whole proposal — which Trump made conditional on voters keeping Republicans in charge of the House and Senate — is "absolutely egregious.''

"We've never seen anything like this in our government,'' Mendoza said. "And, quite frankly, I have a lot of faith in the American people and in Arizonans that they're not going to buy it.''

Ciscomani and Mendoza discussed those views with reporters after they faced off in their first and only debate ahead of the November election.

'Big Beautiful Bill' issues

The hour-long debate found other areas of disagreement, many of them also dealing with the economy.

Ciscomani defended his vote last year for HR 1, the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill'' approved by Congress on a party-line vote.

He said there were a lot of positives, including eliminating income taxes on tips and overtime and expanding a tax credit that lets working families claim a credit against the amount owed for up to 50% of their costs for child care.

Mendoza said she supports some of those tax cuts, but not those "for billionaires." She also noted the measure is expected to sharply cut the number of people eligible for both Medicaid and food stamps, with the latter cuts "making it difficult for children to get the nourishment they need."  

Ciscomani said the changes affecting Medicaid and food stamps were necessary to ensure that available "safety net'' dollars are going to those who really need it.

"There's a lot of fraud out there,'' he said. Ciscomani said that's why the legislation contains new requirements, such as having to prove eligibility twice a year. That will help keep taxes low, he said.

But Mendoza said the cuts will be "devastating'' to hospitals in the state that have been dependent on their patients being enrolled in the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state's Medicaid program. She said some of that devastation already is being felt in rural hospitals that are curbing certain services.

"We have services that are on the verge of being cut — maternal care for soon-to-be moms that are going to have to drive an hour and a half, two hours, to get seen at the doctor,'' Mendoza said.

Ciscomani countered that the federal legislation does include additional money to help rural hospitals, something he said he insisted be in the final bill.

Mendoza, however, said that doesn't come close to making up for the cuts in coverage.

That was borne out by a study done by KFF that looked at the $50 billion that is in HR 1 for rural health care. But KFF, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that analyzes health measures, said that falls short of the $137 billion that will be lost by rural hospitals, many of which already were considered to be in financially risky situations.

"It's like bringing a glass a glass of water to a fire that you started,'' Mendoza told Ciscomani. 

Costs for consumers

The debate also comes at a time of rising costs for consumers and concerns about the economy. But Ciscomani sought to deflect the blame away from Republicans — and from Trump in particular.

"We've been 18 months into this administration trying to get out of the Biden inflation we had in the last four years before then,'' he said.

"It hasn't happened as fast as we all hoped it would have happened,'' Ciscomani said. "Nevertheless, we are on that track.''

He said the key is Republican efforts, like H.R. 1, to tighten up federal spending, provide some tax breaks and provide tax incentives for businesses to expand.

Mendoza, however, said Ciscomani has repeatedly supported the tariffs that Trump has imposed, which have driven up the cost of goods and services. Ciscomani never addressed that issue during the debate.

War against Iran 

Some of the current issues with inflation are directly related to the war in Iran and related events, including the status of the Strait of Hormuz, which have driven up prices for gasoline and diesel fuel. But the war came up only when the candidates were asked under what conditions they think American troops should be put in harm's way.

"What we see happening right now, the situation in Iran, is unnecessarily putting our kids at risk,'' Mendoza said. "We have a president that does not have a plan for what's going to happen,'' she said, including what would constitute success.

Ciscomani said the issue needs to be framed through the lens that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. "We know that,'' he said. "Every president before the present has uttered those words. And nobody had done anything about that.''

He acknowledged that Trump, in attacking Iran, told Americans the conflict would last a matter of weeks at most. It has now been six months.

"Listen: Everybody hoped and thought it was going to be done a lot quicker,'' Ciscomani said. But he said it is now necessary "to make sure the mission gets complete,'' which he said includes making sure the Strait of Hormuz is open.

Still, Ciscomani said there is a larger goal in Iran — one for which he had no end date. "As long as that regime stays in place, nobody's going to be safe,'' he said.

Mendoza, however, said the issue is more basic. A 20-year veteran of the Navy and the Marines, she said voters need to remember that Ciscomani supports a war where 18 U.S. service members have been killed.

"Parents don't want to see their kids come home in flag-draped coffins,'' she said.

Border wall 

Mendoza also criticized the decision made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to build 62 miles of border wall through the Tohono O'odham reservation.

The area now has barriers that stop vehicles but allow people to walk across. Tribal officials say that is important because many members of the tribe live in Sonora.

"There should be no situation where the United States government is not respecting tribal government,'' Mendoza said, saying federal agencies should be consulting with tribal officials.

Ciscomani took a more measured position.

"We have to be able to respect the sovereignty of these nations and we have to be able to protect our own borders,'' he said, saying he wants a "cooperative relationship where both objectives can be met.''