By admin 
Issue: National debt
The U.S. national debt exceeds $40 trillion, and South Carolina U.S. Senate candidates all say they want to push for lower government spending.
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Annie Andrews, Democratic candidate
In a policy plan released Monday, Andrews said she will push for a constitutional amendment requiring Congress to pass a balanced budget.
“Washington has spent decades running up the bill and expecting our families to pay for it,” Andrews said in a news release. “Democrats spend billions on programs without asking whether they’re working, and Republicans waste billions on endless wars and handouts to big corporations.
Andrews will also refuse to participate in earmarks, oppose “unprovoked wars,” reform government contracting and work to reduce waste and abuse of social programs, according to a policy plan released by her campaign.
Darline Graham, Republican candidate
Graham said the national debt is an issue for the U.S. and she would focus on cutting duplicative or wasteful government spending and growing the U.S. economy.
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“So just cutting fraud, cutting spending, growing the economy, bringing jobs back to America, and again, President Trump has done a great job on that,” Graham said Aug. 3 during a Republican primary debate.
Kasie Whitener, Libertarian candidate
For Whitener, tackling the national debt would be the number one priority for her in the U.S. Senate.
“The debt is the primary issue,” Whitener said in an interview. “It’s the reason everything is so expensive, and we know that the two major parties are doing nothing about it.”
She said Medicare and Social Security were two of the biggest contributors to the national debt and are in “desperate need of reform.” Whitener would also advocate for zero-based budgeting, simplifying the tax code and a balanced budget.
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