CloseUp: Burns backs cuts to home heating assistance - WMUR Manchester

ADAM: WELCOME BACK TO CLOSE UP. ANNIE KUSTER HAS DISPATCHED FOUR DIFFERENT REPUBLICAN OPPONENTS IN THE LAST DECADE. THE LAST TIME A REPUBLICAN BEAT HER IT WAS IN A YEAR THAT MIGHT BE LIKE THIS ONE. ROBERT BURNS, THE CD-2 GOP NOMINEE, IS HOPING THAT’S THE CASE. HE IS OUR GUEST IN STUDIO THIS MORNING. THANKS FOR JOINING US. ROBERT: THANK YOU FOR JOI HAVING ME. ADAM: LET’S START WITH YOUR PITCH TO VOTERS. YOU’RE A BUSINESSMAN, YOU’VE GOT AN ELEVATOR SPEECH. IN ONE MINUTE HOW DO YOU CONVINCE A NEW HAMPSHIRE VOTER IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE? ROBERT: MOST OF HER MONEY COMES FROM OUT-OF-STATE. I HAVE BEEN GOING TO FIRE CHIEF’S FORUMS, SHE IS A NO-SHOW AT ANY OF THESE. SHE IS REALLY TAKING IT FOR GRANTED THAT SHE WILL BE REELECTED WITHOUT HAVING TO PUT THE WORK IN. ADAM: YOU HAVE ARGUED THAT THIS IS A WINNABLE RACE FOR YOU, BUT ARE YOU GETTING HUNG OUT TO DRY BY REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP, JUST LIKE STEVE NEGRON DID IN THE LAST 2 CYCLES? ROBERT: I’M NOT REALLY SEEING A LOT OF THE SUPPORT. WE HAVE GOTTEN SOME FROM THE NRCC. WHEN I CAME OUT OF THIS RACE ORIGINALLY, SHE HAD ALMOST A 20 POINT LEAD. WE HAVE NARROWED THAT DOWN TO SINGLE DIGITS AT THIS POINT. WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE NARROWING HAPPENED. SHE -ORDERED- DEMOCRAT -- DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN SPENDING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ATTACKING ME, MOSTLY WITH LIES. THEY CHANGED IT. THEY LIED ABOUT ME SAYING I WOULD CRIMINALIZE ABORTION. NOW THEY ARE HITTING ME ON THE MOST RIDICULOUS THING, SOCIAL SECURITY. I HAVE BEEN EXPLICIT THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO TOUCH SOCIAL SECURITY. SHE IS SAYING BECAUSE I AM ASSOCIATED WITH REPUBLICANS WHO WANT TO CHANGE SOCIAL SECURITY, I WANT TO CHANGE SOCIAL SECURITY AS WELL! IF I COULD TAKE ANY DEMOCRAT ISSUE AND APPLY IT TO HER, I COULD SAY ANYTHING I WANT! ADAM: WHAT ARE SOME CONCRETE ACTIONS A REPUBLICAN CONGRESS WOULD TAKE IN TO TRY TO TAKE THE 2023 EDGE OFF INFLATION? ROBERT: OPENING UP MORE GASOLINE PRODUCTION IN THE U.S. IT IS NOT AN INSTANT SOLUTION. THERE ARE NO INSTANT SOLUTIONS. WE WILL GET BACK TO WORK ON THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE. NOT AN INSTANT SOLUTION, BUT THINGS THAT SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN TAKEN OFF THE TABLE. ADAM: WHAT ABOUT GOVERNMENT BAILOUTS? ROBERT: NOT TO SIT HERE AND PRAISE AOC, BUT THIS WAS ABOUT A YEAR AGO, SHE WAS GOING AFTER SOME DEFENSE SPENDING FOR $400 THAT WAS BEING MANUFACTURED FOR $113. PEOPLE IN THE GOVERNMENT DO NOT CARE ABOUT SPENDING. I BRING A LOT OF DIVERSITY TO THE GOVERNMENT. I DO NOT MEAN DIVERSITY BECAUSE OF GENDER OR RACE OR SEXUALITY, BUT I ACTUALLY HAVE A UNIQUE BUSINESS BACKGROUND THAT NOBODY ELSE IN OUR GOVERNMENT HAS. I HAVE UNIQUE MANUFACTURING EXPERIENCE THAT NOBODY ELSE HAS. MY OPPONENT IS A LAWYER AND A LOBBYIST FOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY. ADAM: WHAT ABOUT CUTS TO -- THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REFERRED TO IT AS -- ROBERT: THAT SOUNDS GREAT TO ME. I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK MORE INTO IT. IT SOUNDS GOOD. ANY CUTS PARTICULARLY WHERE WE ARE NOT SEEING RESULTSS, 100%, WE NEED TO CUT A LOT OF THE WASTE IN OUR GOVERNMENT. THERE IS A LOT OF GRAFT AND GRAFT IN OUR GOVERNMENT. WE SAW THIS WITH THE PPP PROGRAMS. WE WERE SO QUICK TO SEND MONEY OUT, WE DID NOT CARE THAT THE MONEY WAS BEING SENT OUT TO PEOPLE WHO WERE STEALING IT. ADAM: WHAT ABOUT HOME NEEDING ASSISTANCE -- HOME HEATING ASSISTANCE. PEOPLE RELY ON THAT HERE. ROBERT: WE SEND OUR TAXES TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SO THEY CAN SEND BACK HERE, BUT THEY TAKE THEIR CUT. THAT DOES A MAKE ANY SENSE. HOME HEATING ASSISTANCE SHOULD BE ON A STATE LEVEL. ADAM: WOULD YOU SUPPORT BUILDING NEW NATURAL GAS PIPELINES THROUGH YOUR DISTRICT TO HELP BRING DOWN HOME HEATING COSTS? ROBERT: IT DEPENDS ON WHAT MAKES THE MOST SENSE FOR THE BANG FOR OUR BUCK. I CAN THINK OF REASONS IT MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE, BUT THAT IS NOT SOMETHING I WOULD TAKE OFF THE TABLE. IT WOULDN’T BE SOMETHING I WOULD TAKE OFF THE TABLE. ADAM: HOW MUCH LONGER WE WILL BE RELIANT ON FOSSIL FUELS IS A DEBATE. WOULD YOU WANT A SMALL MODULAR REACTOR? ROBERT: ABSOLUTELY. FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY HAS PUSHED BACK AGAINST NUCLEAR POWER. THEY ARE EXTREMELY SAFE. THEY DO NOT PRODUCE MUCH NUCLEAR WASTE. ADAM: WHAT DO YOU DO WITH THE WASTE THOUGH? ROBERT: TAKE CARE OF THE WASTE THE SAME WAY WE ARE TAKING CARE OF IT NOW. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THEY PRODUCE A MINUSCULE AMOUNT COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS. ADAM: ON ABORTION, YOU’VE SAID YOU’LL VOTE PRO-LIFE IN CONGRESS AND YOU’VE CITED THE 14TH AMENDMENT AS BEING PROTECTIVE OF FETAL LIFE AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. WHAT’S YOUR OPINION OF REPUBLICANS WHO SAY THEY ARE STRONGLY PRO-LIFE BUT IN THE WAKE OF THE DOBBS DECISION THEY WON’T VOTE PRO-LIFE ONCE THEY GET TO WASHINGTON. ROBERT: I HAVE TALKED ABOUT JOE MANCHIN’S BILL IN THE SENATE. IT IS A COMMONSENSE SOLUTION. IT IS ABORTION WITH RESTRICTIONS, WHICH MOST AMERICANS AGREE WITH, UNLIKE MY OPPONENT WHO WANTS 40 WEEK ABORTIONS PAID BY THE GOVERNMENT. TO CONTINUE ON THAT, I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE WOMEN’S HEALTH CARAWAY AS A POLITICAL FOOTBALL AWAY FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD. THESE NECESSARY CANCER SCREENINGS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ALL MEN, WOMEN AND PEOPLE. THESE SHOULD BE PROVIDED AT A VERY LOW COST, LIKE FIVE DOLLARS PER SCREENING. LET’S TAKE ALL OF THAT AWAY FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND PUT HEALTH CARE OUT THERE WHERE IT SHOULD BE AND DO PREVENTATIVE HEALTH CARE AND CATCH CANCER IN EARLY STAGES SO WE CAN TREAT IT AND IT WILL BE MUCH MORE COST-EFFECTIVE. ADAM: REPUBLICANS ARE PROMISING TO INVESTIGATE BIDEN IF THEY RETAKE CONGRESS. WHO SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FIRST, AND FOR WHAT? ROBERT: I THINK WE SHOULD INVESTIGATE PFIZER. THE REASON MODERNA WAS TOLD BY THE FDA TO GO BACK AND CONTINUE THEIR STUDY IS BECAUSE THEY DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH MINORITIES. PFIZER WAS NOT HELD TO THE SAME STANDARD THAT MODERNITYA WAS -- MODERNA WAS. I WANT TO INVESTIGATE ANTHONY FAUCI AND DR. GOTTLIEB. ADAM: ANY SPECIFIC OTHER BIDEN ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS YOU WOULD WANT TO BRING BEFORE CONGRESS? ROBERT: I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HUNTER BIDEN INVESTIGATED. WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF STUFF BETWEEN HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA, WITH ENERGY COMPANIES IN THE UKRAINE, AND I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT. ADAM: ON THE MATTER OF INVESTIGATIONS, THE SUPREME COURT, SPECIFICALLY JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS, ISN’T INTERVENING TO HELP SLOW DOWN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE REMOVAL OF CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS FROM THE WHITE HOUSE TO TRUMP’S FLORIDA HOME, DOCUMENTS THAT, BY LAW, BELONG TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IN OUR GRANITE STATE DEBATE I ASKED YOU IF YOU CONSIDER INDIVIDUAL FBI AGENTS INVOLVED IN THIS CASE TO BE THE ENEMY, . YOU SAID SOME OF THEM ARE. THAT’S QUITE A STATEMENT, AND YOU’RE GOING FARTHER THAN MOST WHO LIKE TO POINT THE FINGER AT MERRICK GARLAND AND CHRISTOPHER WRAY. WHEN YOU’RE WILLING TO CALL RANK AND FILE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THE ENEMY, THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING WE’D HEAR FROM A DEFUND THE POLICE ACTIVIST. HOW ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO ENFORCE THE LAW? ROBERT: WHEN YOU GROW UP AND SEE THESE THINGS HAPPENING, INVESTIGATORS SAW AN OVERWEIGHT MIDDLE-AGED WHITE MAN AND DECIDED HE MUST BE A TERRORIST BECAUSE HE FIT THERE PROFILE -- THEIR PROFILE. ADAM: WHEN YOU SAY THAT ABOUT LONG -- ABOUT RANK AND FILE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THE ENEMY, -- ABOUT RANK AND FILE POLICE OFFICERS LIKE THAT, THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING WE’D HEAR FROM A DEFUND THE POLICE ACTIVIST. ROBERT: THAT IS ABSOLUTELY UNTRUE. ADAM: PRESIDENT BIDEN IS MOVING FORWARD WITH A DESCHEDULING POLICY FOR MARIJUANA. HOW WOULD YOU VOTE ON THIS? ROBERT: I WOULD DEFINITELY DESCHEDULE IT. SCHEDULE ONE IS NOT LEGAL FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES. PEOPLE USING IT FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES IS TECHNICALLY FEDERALLY ILLEGAL. ADAM: IS THAT ENOUGH? ROBERT: ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL DESCHE