Oz, Fetterman go head-to-head in Pa. Senate debate
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Dr. Mehmet Oz squared off in their only scheduled debate amid the tightly contested Pennsylvania Senate race, with a focus on abortion, fracking, inflation and Fetterman’s health.
Video Transcript
- Mr. Oz, you mentioned the decision to regulate abortion should be something that is left up to the States. Now, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has introduced a federal bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks. I know that you've been asked about this question before. If the vote were held today, you were elected Senator, you were on the Senate floor, the clerk calls you, there's a roll call vote, are you a yea or a nay? How would you vote on the Lindsey Graham bill? You have 30 seconds.
MEHMET OZ: Lisa, I don't even need 30 seconds. I'll give you a bigger answer. I am not going to support federal rules that block the ability of states to do what they wish to do. The abortion decision should be left up to states. And specifically when John Fetterman--
JOHN FETTERMAN: You roll with Doug Mastriano.
MEHMET OZ: John, when I'm done, you can--
- One moment.
MEHMET OZ: John. You'll have your turn, John.
- One moment, Mr. Fetterman. Continue, Mr. Oz.
MEHMET OZ: I've been very clear on my desire as a physician not to interfere with how states decide. So when John purposely, knowingly misrepresents that to women, he scares them. He's purposely trying to alarm them. And the fear mongering isn't working, running Tens of millions of dollars of ads claiming that I'm against all abortions, when he knows that's not right, claiming that I'm going to be strict with Pennsylvania, when he knows that's not honest. I can't be any clearer than I've been on this stage today. John Fetterman, if you just hear that one story today, I'd be really happy, but I know you're not going to because you're going to go right back to telling the fables that you believe.
[BELL DINGING]
- Mr. Oz, I want a 15-second clarification. You are saying that you would leave it up to the states, and the federal government does not have a role here. So are you saying you would not vote for the Lindsey Graham bill?
MEHMET OZ: Any bill that violates what I said, which is the federal government interfering with a state rule on abortion, I would vote against. What I feel strongly about is that women in Pennsylvania understand what I'm saying and not believe that someone who's taking an extreme position like John Fetterman represents them, because most women do not believe that we should, at a federal level, codify 38 weeks of permission to have an abortion--
[BELL DINGING]
--and have taxpayers pay for it.
- So yes or no on the Lindsey Graham bill?
MEHMET OZ: I think I've answered it very clearly three times, Lisa.
- OK. All right. Thank you, Mr. Oz. Turning to you, Mr. Fetterman. You have frequently stated your belief that abortion should be safe and legal. Do you support any limits on when a woman can have an abortion? Please explain in 60 seconds.
JOHN FETTERMAN: What I support, I support on Roe v. Wade. That was the law of the land for 50 years. He celebrated when it fell down. And I would fight to reestablish on Roe v. Wade. That's what I run on, that's what I believe, and I've always believed that the choice belongs women and their doctors. And he believes that the choice should be with him or Republican legislatures all across this nation.
- All right. I'm--
MEHMET OZ: I'm sorry. I must correct that. Once again, he's misrepresented what I've said, but he also said something very dishonest. On this debate stage, he said very specifically, in his primary debate, when he was still debating, that he would support 38 weeks of mandated rules by the federal government that would prevent any state from blocking it. So that's not Roe versus Wade.
JOHN FETTERMAN: That's not true. I support--
[BELL DINGING]
--Roe v. Wade. That's the simple.
- Pennsylvania only trails Texas in terms of natural gas production. Both of you have taken shifting positions on the issue of fracking. Mr. Oz, we begin with you. You wrote a column in 2014 calling for no fracking pending health study results. But in a video posted on social media in March, you said, quote, "Natural gas guarantees high-paying skilled jobs right here in Pennsylvania, so back off, Biden. Give us freedom to frack." Mr. Oz, please explain that changing position. 60 seconds.
MEHMET OZ: I've been very consistent. Fracking has been demonstrated-- it's a very old technology-- to be safe. It is a lifeline for this Commonwealth to be able to build wealth, similar to what they've been able to achieve in other states. For that reason, I strongly support fracking, drilling, the piping of that natural gas. In fact, I'd build a facility of it in Philadelphia so we can export it to our allies and help them, the ones that are struggling now in Eastern and Western Europe because of the Ukrainian war.
John Fetterman calls fracking a stain on Pennsylvania. He says that he would sign a moratorium to ban its continued use. He's against pipelines. He voted-- or supported the vote against the Keystone Pipeline that ended up shutting it down. He supports Biden's desire to ban fracking on public lands, which are our lands, all of our lands together.
This is a extreme position on energy. If we unleashed our energy here in Pennsylvania, it would help everybody. Why John Fetterman is so rigidly stuck on fighting against energy companies is stunning to me because it's the jobs I want, tens of thousands of high-paying--
[BELL DINGING]
--jobs to help Pennsylvanians.
- Thank you, Mr. Oz.
JOHN FETTERMAN: Again, Oz rule!
- Mr. Fetterman, 15 seconds.
JOHN FETTERMAN: You know, I absolutely support fracking. In fact, I live across the street from a steel mill, and they were going to frack to create their own energy in order to make them more competitive. And I support that, living closer to anybody else in Pennsylvania for fracking to myself. I believe that we need independence with energy. And I believe I've walked that line my entire career.
[BELL DINGING]
I believe Democrats--
- Mr. Fetterman, I do have a specific question, which you can continue on this topic, but you have made two conflicting statements regarding fracking. In a 2018 interview, you said, quote, "I don't support fracking at all. I never have." But earlier this month, you told an interviewer, quote, "I support fracking. I support the energy independence that we should have here in the United States." So Mr. Fetterman, please explain your changing position. 60 seconds.
JOHN FETTERMAN: I've always supported fracking, and I always believe that independence with our energy is critical. We can't be held ransom to somebody like Russia. I've always believed that energy independence is critical, and I have always believed that. And I do support fracking. I've never taken any money from their-- the industry, but I support how critical it is that we produce our own energy and create energy independence.
- Mr. Oz, this past summer, Congress passed the first gun control bill in decades. That would not have happened without the support of the man you are running to replace, Pat Toomey. How would you have voted on that bill, and would you continue Toomey's legacy as being one of the lead Republicans in Congress on pushing for gun reforms? You have 60 seconds.
MEHMET OZ: I have been supported by Pat Toomey. I've enjoyed working with him. I think he's done a wonderful job. There are parts of that bill that I like a lot. For example, I like the fact that there are background checks that are being strengthened now, so we can make sure that people who should not have guns don't get guns.
I also like the fact that there was a lot of money invested for mental health, which is an important part of the equation. I've been to Philadelphia. I've done prayer vigils with Black clergy leaders, who are desperately trying to save the people in their community. Half the murders in Philadelphia are committed by people under 18. We have got to get mental health services to these people, and it's not happening now.
But part of the problem is that we have taken away the ability of police to do their job. And that's on John Fetterman because John Fetterman has taken such a harsh position against them. He's undermined them at every level, taken away some of their funding. He's pushed for Krasner, who he admires tremendously, and he's spoken highly of him just this week. He's taken his policies to a new extreme.
He argued that people should be let out of jail without any bail, no matter what they did to get in there. He's argued to release 1/3 of all prisoners.
[BELL DINGING]
1/3 of all prisoners? Out of touch.
- Quickly, 15 seconds, would you have voted for that Pat Toomey supported bill, if you were in the Senate?
MEHMET OZ: I would have tried to improve that bill. There are things that I think most of us appreciate. I wasn't there at the time, so I can't speak to what was possible. But I do know there are parts of that bill that do make sense. And the ones I described should be followed. Let's see how it works out.
- OK.
