League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area Education Fund
State of Ohio November 6, 2012 Election
	Sherrod Brown Answers Questions Candidate for United States Senate

The questions were prepared by the League of Women Voters of the Cincinnati Area and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. With strong pressure to reduce expenditures, where would you make significant cuts in the federal budget? Increases?

While I oppose cutting benefits for Ohioans who rely on Social Security and Medicare, I support several approaches to reducing spending: allow Medicare to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices; reform farm programs to save $23 billion, and end $20 billion in subsidies to oil companies reaping huge profits. I support investments in our roads, bridges, and water systems, to save money in the long run and put Ohioans to work to help grow our economy. We should invest in educational opportunities to our children by supporting our teachers rather than demonizing them, and providing grants and affordable loans for higher education. And I was proud to vote to keep taxes low for middle-class families while asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share to help reduce our deficit.

2. How would you balance the interests of citizens, the environment and the business community?

I reject the false choice between protecting the health of Ohio's families and expanding job opportunities for the middle-class and I have worked hard to confer with business interests and citizen groups about how we can create jobs in manufacturing and energy while protecting the environment. I have tried to strike that balance by organizing a job fair with Chesapeake Energy to recruit Ohioans looking to move into the energy field and why I have also support local officials when they have expressed concerns about the environmental impacts of drilling in their communities. Working together with business and local communities, I believe Ohio can be a leader in energy jobs, particularly green energy, while making sure that our drinking water and air are safe for Ohio's children and families.

3. How would you address concerns about immigration?

I think we must continue to find ways to strengthen our border security, not just to stem illegal immigration but also to guard against terrorism, trafficking in drugs and humans, and other illicit activities. To achieve that, most importantly we need to enforce our immigration laws with regards to both illegal immigrants and employers that illegally hire workers.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Answers will be cut off if they exceed a word limit, if present. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 13, 2012 08:37
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