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Krik and Giannoulias Battle It Out
(IRN)-The federal stimulus program, good or bad? It was an area of disagreement for our U.S. Senate candidates in a debate Tuesday night.

The Republican, U.S. Representative Mark Kirk, voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act when it came before the House of Representatives in 2009, saying the $787 billion program was too big and didn't focus heavily enough on infrastructure. And he says it brought on too much debt.

State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, the Democrat, says the stimulus headed off a depression, and as for debt, Kirk voted for all the budgets under President Bush that piled up huge debts.

The candidates also disagreed on the military's Don't Ask, Don’t Tell policy, enacted 17 years ago, which forbids gays from serving in the military, but only if they're found out. Giannoulias said the rule should be repealed, saying it's a detriment to national security to discharge service members simply because they're gay. Kirk is in favor of keeping the current policy, saying it's difficult to make change in an institution as large and complex as the U.S. military.

The president says he will end the policy, but the administration is appealing a federal court order to stop enforcing it.

The debate was sponsored by the League of Women Voters, and was recorded for broadcast on television stations across the state.

(Illinois Radio Network)
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