What Vance and Walz said during the vice president’s debate on abortion, the economy and more

Some of the most searched topics on the Google Trends list included those that were discussed, such as abortion, the economy, health care and immigration.

Here’s where Vance and Walz addressed each topic during their Midwest showdown.

Abortion

Walz pointed out that Trump took credit for installing Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade and mentioned several women who had near-death experiences due to pregnancy complications after having difficulty obtaining an abortion in states with restrictions.

“In Minnesota, we restored Roe v. Wade“, Walz said. “We made sure that women were responsible for their health care.”

As governor, Walz signed into law a sweeping abortion bill that enshrined access into law and which opponents say would virtually allow the procedure to take place at almost any time during pregnancy with little restrictions.

Walz said a Trump-Vance White House would create a “pregnancy registry” modeled on the conservative 2025 policy plan from which the two men distanced themselves. Walz also said contraception and fertility treatments would be at risk.

Vance denied the accusations and described himself “as a Republican who proudly wants to protect innocent lives in this country” but who also realizes the GOP has a trust problem on the subject.

“We have to do a much better job of regaining the trust of the American people on this issue where, frankly, they just don’t trust us,” he said.

Vance reaffirmed his support for fertility treatments while emphasizing Trump’s belief that abortion restrictions should be left to the states.

“The right way to handle this, as complicated as democracy is sometimes, is to let voters make these decisions, to let each state decide its abortion policy,” he said.

The economy

Walz touted Harris’ proposals for down payment assistance for first-time home buyers, a one-time $6,000 child tax credit for parents of a newborn and tax credits of $50,000 for small businesses. He gave few details on how the measures would be financed, other than raising taxes on those with higher incomes.

“We will simply ask the richest to pay their fair share,” Walz said. “When you do that, our system works better. More and more people are participating and people have what they need.

Vance questioned the authenticity of Harris’ plan because he did not carry it out as vice president and said a strong economy under Trump was proof that the Trump-era tax cuts Trump’s opposition to the extension was successful.

“If Kamala Harris has such big plans for solving the problems of the middle class, then she should implement them now, not when she asks for a promotion, but in the job the American people gave her three and a half years ago,” he said. said.

Vance also questioned economists who say Trump’s desire to propose across-the-board 20% tariff increases on imported goods would increase inflation and lead to higher prices for consumers.

“They were wrong about the idea that if we made America less self-reliant and less productive in our own nation that that would somehow make us better. And they were wrong,” he added. “For the first time in a generation, Donald Trump had the wisdom and courage to tell this bipartisan consensus: ‘We don’t do this anymore.’”

Immigration

Vance reflected on his mother’s past reliance on opioids to fuel the flow of deadly drugs like fentanyl into the United States that accompanies illegal immigration and vowed that Trump would reenforce his border policies, wall construction and more major expulsions with priority on those who have them. criminal record.

“Now that she’s running for president, or a few months ago, she’s saying that somehow she got a religion and that she cared a lot about a bill,” he said. Vance said in reference to Democrats’ support for a bipartisan Senate border bill. “This problem is causing enormous problems in the United States of America. Parents who cannot afford health care, overwhelmed schools.”

Walz highlighted Trump’s hand in rejecting the bipartisan border deal, which would have increased funding for border security, made it harder to seek asylum, ended so-called capture and release and granted the administration more authority to effectively close the border.

“As soon as the bill got ready to pass and tackle it, Donald Trump said ‘No’ and told them to vote against it because it was a campaign problem for him,” Walz said . “He had four years to do this.”

He also said Vance “vilified a lot of people who were here legally” by spreading the debunked conspiracy that Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, were eating residents’ pets.

Health care

Vance, pressed by moderators about Trump’s statement during his debate with Harris that he had “an idea of ​​a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act, called his ticket’s position “common sense very simple.”

“You’re not going to bring a 900-page bill to the debate stage,” he said.

Vance promised that pre-existing conditions would remain protected and touted new hospital price transparency rules under Trump.

“When Obamacare was crushed under the weight of its own regulatory burden and health care costs, Donald Trump could have destroyed the program. Instead, he worked in a bipartisan manner to ensure Americans had access to affordable care,” Vance said. “Of course, it’s not perfect and there’s a lot more we can do. But I think Donald Trump has earned the right to put in place better health care policies.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Walz pointed to repeated attempts by congressional Republicans under Trump to repeal the ACA and that Harris was part of an administration that signed the law allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug costs.

“When Donald Trump said, ‘I have an idea for a plan,’ it made me laugh as a fourth-grade teacher because my kids would never have given it to me,” Walz said. “What they’re going to do is let the insurance companies choose who they insure, because guess what happens? You pay your premium. It’s not much. They think they won’t have to pay you. But those of you who are a little older, gray, you know, have had cancer? You will be expelled. This is why the system did not work. Kamala Harris will protect and strengthen the ACA.