The race for Congress in western Illinois.

We speak with incumbent Democrat Eric Sorensen on The Cities.

[lively music] [music ends] From now until Election Day, we hope to bring to you each of the candidates running for Congress in the cities.

In this election cycle we've extended invitation to the candidates running in the Illinois 17th district and Iowa's 1st district races.

On the Sunday afternoon before Election day, we'll run all of the interviews back to back on WQPT public television.

Now, in the race for the 17th district, it is a district that include Illinois Democrat Eric Sorenson, who is seeking reelection to a third term.

And Republican challenger, Dillan Vancil.

The district includes the Illinois Quad Cities, Galesburg, Galena, Sterling, Rock falls, and Monmouth, and also includes larger cities like Rockford, Moline, Rock Island Bloomington, Normal, and Peoria.

Now, we talked with Dillan Vancil last week.

This week, Democrat Eric Sorensen.

Before he was first elected to Congress, he was a television meteorologist in Rockford and the Quad Cities.

And of special note, I need to point out that I worked with Sorensen when he was at WQAD-TV until 2012.

Congressman, thank you for joining us.

I want to start really with the Iran war.

You're, of course, critical of the president's, initiation of the war an how he has handled it this far.

But what does it take to make sure that the US makes sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon?

Well, look, I mean, if we take the president at his word, when, you know, year, a couple of months into his term, he went in, quot unquote, his words obliterated, their stockpile of nuclear weapons, and, and then wanted the United States to g back to war to do the same thing that he said he was successful at.

Just as we take him at his word.

There is no reason for us to be there.

We have lost American servicemen in, in duty because of a war that we're not even sur what we're trying to accomplish.

Look, Jim, we need diplomacy to be able to open the Strait of Hormuz as it is open today.

We need to make sure that the risk goes down so that energy can be transported through the Strait of Hormuz so that our neighbor aren't paying $6 a gallon diesel and nearly $5 a gallon for unleaded.

You know, when it comes down to it, the American people are paying the price for this war that nobody signed up for.

Well, and litter, literally a far as the economy is concerned.

And it's also shown that if you block the Strait of Hormuz or as the Houthis have done, blocked, the in the Red Sea area, it really does show that America, the world is still very vulnerable in that area.

Right.

It's a powder keg in the Middle East today.

We need to make sur that we're moving forward in a, pro peace environment.

You know we've just seen in the past week what has happened here with the Houthis and, you know, Saudi Arabia, sending drones to the airpor and killing innocent civilians.

We've got to take care of these threats, but these threats have to be taken care of by allied countries, not just one country doing it alone.

And I think that's where there was a mistake made by the higher order in this president.

And also with, Pete Hegseth.

You know, I sit on the House Armed Services Committee.

I was able to ask the tough questions to Pete Hegseth and demand the answers.

How much is this costing the American people?

What is the plan for getting out of Iran?

What is the plan for peace in the Middle East?

And whenever I ask those questions, I'm being given just talking points.

You know what?

The American people can't afford talking points anymore.

The American people are going to vote for change because they can't afford it.

Nor should we be asking them to pay for it.

Well, two of the areas, of course, as gas price and the cost of diesel as well.

Do you believe that there should be, at least for short term relief, a suspension of federal gas taxes?

And and what do you think o the purchase of, Russian diesel?

Well, to your first question, Jim, you know, of course we need to make sure that we're making, gas, energy as affordable as possible in a time where we're going into the uncertainty of a winter season, but also understanding when this president, in the middle of the night, gets on his his iPhone and he calls u President Putin to make a deal.

He is circumventing Congress because Congress has, overwhelmingly, on a bipartisan basis, stood with Ukraine.

And instead, what we're going to do is Donald Trump is going to use your tax dollars, give it to Putin so that he can bomb Ukraine an put our servicemembers at risk.

That's a red line.

We cannot go forward with that.

And I am I am grateful to my colleague on the other side of the aisle, the GOP colleagues that say that we should not be giving any money to Vladimir Putin for any reason.

And as far as, the gas tax is concerned do you think that it should be temporarily suspended?

Sure, I would be open to that.

But then also understand that the gas tax is there for a purpose to give us the roads that we drive on.

If we have poorer roads, it means that there's going to be more costly service to our vehicles and driving down the road.

But then I'm also very cognizant, and I know this is an Illinois issue.

But, you know, most people here in the Quad Cities, we travel across, to Iowa to get cheaper gas.

We need to make sure that every cent in every penny a nickel that we're paying in gas tax in Illinoi is going to the right purpose.

And that's going to the benefit of our roads and our infrastructure.

I'm glad that you also brought up, Ukraine, because this ends up being an ongoing, almost endless war.

Is it time for negotiations?

I mean, how much more can the U.S., do to support Ukraine in somethin that just seems to be ongoing?

Well, I think thi is part of a broader, position that Vladimir Puti has put himself in, to be able to have this point of aggression against Ukraine.

I was recently on a trip with the House Armed Services chairman, a Republican.

We went to the Black Sea to be able to thank our service members who were working in Romania, which borders Ukraine.

These are our American service members who are trainin Ukrainian fighters on the F-16.

We need to make sur that we are supporting Ukraine, because if we allow Vladimir Putin to obtain any more land than he has already done and this should have been after he had taken Crimea by force.

We need to make sure that it is the rest of the world standing up against this aggression.

If we let him have one more inch, Jim, then that means that he will go toward Estonia and to Romania and to Poland and threaten not just, you know, NATO countries, but the EU is, as an example.

Well, and as you said, you ar on the Armed Services Committee.

You've also gone to Israel.

You know that Israel needs military support from the US.

But you've seen the devastation that's gone on in Gaza.

Talk about an endless conflict.

At what point does the USA to Israel no more?

No more, basically.

Uh huh.

I think a lot is going to happen.

You know, when we look at the effects of Israel's election on October 27th.

So just a mere days before we have our midterm elections here in the United States, Israel will have the ability to elect a different leader.

A different leade gives a different path forward.

I am so hopeful, that we do have a different leader.

Because if Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power in Israel, I think it only gives us a harder road as Americans going forward in our support o Israel and the peaceful people, that are there.

And also understanding that we have neighbors here in the Quad Cities who have family members in Israel.

We can separate, you know, the politics of what's going on there with support of the Israel people.

Much like they, look at the United States and say, we support America, but we don't support the leader of America presently today.

And what support would you give to the Palestinians at this point and whatever leadership there is there?

Right.

So, you know and I've been to the West Bank.

You know, I've met with Palestinian leaders in my role as a member of Congress.

We have to make sure and, and Israel has to understand, too, that it is our that it is our American value that the Palestinian people are free, that the Palestinian people have the way to move forward in their future, that their kids are going to be able to to grow up and have a future that is bright.

We need to make sur that that support is there, too.

And and look what's going on there is an atrocity.

We need to make sure that the people of Gaza are taken care of, from day one, but then also moving forward to make sure that they have the elections that they need, that the is that Israel will stay within its bounds.

But, peace I think is the solution here.

Well, if it's up to the people of, Gaza and the Palestinians to vote for new leadership, what if it's the leadership that the U.S.

doesn't believe in, or tha Israel believes are terrorists?

Well, look, I think there needs to be a negotiation, right?

You know, it's the same thing with, you know, the way tha I approach my work in Congress.

You know, I don't have to agree with everybody.

But we can find some things where we can agree on.

And what we need is diplomacy to occur there, because every little bit of diplomacy will give us that much greater chance that we're going to see the peaceful outcome.

That's what we have to look forward to.

And before October 7th, before that tragedy, before that terrorist attack happened in Israel, you know, the Israeli people we're working with Saudi Arabia to make sure that there was peace.

There were new friendships being forged.

We have to get back to that today in so many different ways when it comes to, United States power overseas, particularly the, whether you do call it a war or, any kind of military action.

Congress has the War Powers Act that it can use.

But is that just toothless?

Is that just symbolic?

Does Congres really even have a role anymore?

Because, let's be honest, it's been used against Democratic and Republican presidents to really no avail.

Right.

I mean, I mean, look where we are here today.

The flagrancy see that this, chief executive has, over the legislative branch, how the leaders in the, opposition party to where I sit today, those those leaders and the speaker of the House just kowtowing to whatever Donald Trump wants to do.

Even though it means that there is nothing that the legislative branch is doing.

And, whomever takes control of the House of Representatives, whomever is going to be the next person to to sit in the white House.

We have to make sure that the, abilities of anyone in the executive branch, does not, that those abilities can't supersede what we do in the legislative branch.

Because when you look, our founding fathers, they wanted a government that was the legislative, the executive, the judicial, so that you would have three equal powers.

Today, we don't have that.

We need to get back to it.

Well, and the other area that Congress has power over is tariffs.

And you've seen this president use, tariffs, wielding as a, as a sword.

In fact, in order to get, concessions from other nations, what we've seen a number of concessions from other nations.

We've seen some businesses, let's take the steel plant in Lee County, just over the river from your district.

$15 billion, proposal.

So isn't some of this work of using tariffs by the president actually working?

You know, I think that there are even, you know, ways that every president has used tariff policy to the benefit of the United States.

Look, I, I believe in tariff policy when it is targeted.

It means wonders for the carmakers in the United States.

We need to make sure that we're moving forward in those targeted tariffs.

But what this president is doin is tarriffing broad countries.

That doesn't do anyone any good.

You know, these trade wars and the trade deficits that he's trying to rectify.

He's not solving these problems.

In fact, it's making it worse.

You know, I' so concerned about our farmers.

They look at the potas that is mined in Saskatchewan.

That must come across the northern border before we get to the planting season in the spring.

We must make sure that the tariff policy is rectified before that happens.

Or the input costs for our farmers are going to be too much of a load to bear.

Look where tariffs do exist in specific places targeted.

They do work.

But this administration just wants to, to screw over, other countries, even though the American people are paying the price.

Well, and you pointed ou that you sit on the agriculture, the Armed Services Committee, you sit on the Agriculture Committee as well.

You voted against the 2026 farm bill, which is now, waiting for a Senate action.

Why did you vote against it?

If you believe that farmers nee the safety nets that they need.

Right.

And I have met with, dozens, if not hundreds of farmers in our distric over the past couple of years.

To be abl to have a lot of these farmers that sit at my ag roundtables to listen to them and vote on the things that are necessary for them.

One of the things back in the House Agriculture Committee, in the committee room itself, I was able to put forth an amendment to the farm bill that would have allowed year round E15 for two reasons.

Number one, it's good for our corn farmers.

But number two, it lowers the cost at the pump.

Right?

And so I was fighting as hard as I coul to get that into the farm bill.

Unfortunately, it didn't make it in the farm bill.

So if my number one priority didn't make it into the farm bill, I can't vote for it.

However, I continue to work even beyond to make sure that we did get an amendment.

It doesn't have my name on it.

I don't care if it has my name on it.

I'm going to fight to make sure that amendment is stapled to the farm bill afterwards.

And it was.

Okay?

Now it goes to the Senate.

And I'm thankful that in the Senate there is bipartisan work today, Jim, to keep year round E15 in that farm bill so that when it does come back to the House, I can vote for it.

That's the nonstarter for me today.

Over and over again, we've seen, attempts to take a SNAP, supplemental nutrition bill out of the farm bill.

Do you support, separation?

Because that i the largest portion of spending as far as the farm bill is concerned.

Is SNAP benefits.

Right.

You know, the the great thing about the House Agriculture Committee is every five years we get to pass a farm bill.

And, you know, in in 2023, when I was there, I was able to vote yes on the farm bill in the committee.

And it was it was so great to be able to do that.

But looking a what they have done in this big, beautiful bill, is they took so much value out of the farm bill.

And if you take the big value out of the farm bill in nutrition, and our farmers have so much to say about nutrition, if you take that out and you just throw that into the other parts of the government, there's not going to b anything left in the farm bill.

So I want the the brightest minds.

I want the people to to crave that seat on the house Agriculture Committee, because there's great work to be done.

If we lose that, then in the next Congress, you know, we may not have the fighters, you know, the bipartisan fighting, actually, this may sound some shocking, it's worth something.

You know, when when people who are Republican and Democrat can actually talk about issues and say how can we meet in the middle?

How can we do a give and take so that we can agree on one thing?

That is a really great thing.

We need more of that to happen.

And so going forward into the next far bill, it's not just saying what can we update from the previou farm bill.

In the next Congress, I hope to be able to sit there and say, let's rewrite the farm bill.

Let's make a farm bill that is going to mak agriculture, not just solvent, but profitable here in the hometown of Joh Deere for generations to come, so that those kids who are growing up on a Centennial Farm can say, yeah, I'm really proud to do this work.

As you well know.

I mean, everything has to be within a federal budget.

$40 trillion in debt right now.

Very critical of, DOGE cuts that occurred, when the president did take office.

But what where do you see that the federal government does need to be cut?

And because in the past it's really been surgical cuts, but it really hasn't meant much in the long term.

Right.

So one of the things when, when Elon Musk was given the keys, and started DOGE-ing everything, the first thing that they started cutting where people, were positions in the federal government.

Now, if you look at the size and the scope of the federal government, the employment of people takes up 7% of that pie.

You know, what is the biggest piece of pie in the federal government?

It is owning buildings.

The federal government owns so many buildings and keeps so many buildings up.

Now, if you go to Washington, DC, there are great buildings.

You know, I love going to the archives to be able to see that Bill of rights.

Right?

Bu there are many other buildings that maybe we don't need.

And so would look to the pieces of pie that we can actually cut out versus real people.

It's why when DOGE started cutting folks at the National Weather Service I went and found a Republican, Mike Flood of Nebraska to say will you fight with me on this?

And because a Democrat and Republican came together, the administration pumped the brakes.

That's what we need to have happen going forward.

But we also need to make sur that we have smart tax policy, that the wealthy in this country are paying their fair share because what the big beautiful bill did.

Is it lowered taxes on the billionaires and the now one trillionaire that lives on this planet?

That's not what we should be doing.

Especially at the hands of cutting food assistance from people who need it.

And one of the biggest areas that, is growing incredibly fast as AI and data centers.

And I know they're two different things, but let's talk about AI first.

I mean, is there an area that the federal government should be involved in with either limitin the growth or, as the president fears, holding back the growth and letting China, supersede the US?

Look, I have met with leaders at, at Microsoft and at Google, and at Facebook.

Artificial intelligence can be used for good.

I just look at, you know being the meteorologist, right?

You know, when the hurricane Isaias made a landfall here, the AI models had it correct from the very beginning.

There is so much that we can look forward to.

The problem is, when people use AI for bad.

You know, I have the Quiet Act that I am leading in Congress today.

That would mean that when your phone rings and if there is not a real person on the line, it will say AI Call or Non-Human Voice.

We need to protect people.

You know, I think of seniors in this, in this district and in this country.

They need protection from those people who want to dupe them out of their life savings.

But then going forward, we have to make sur that those guardrails are there.

And I do believe it is the responsibility of the federal government to make sure that we're protecting our, our, our constituents, from any rogue actor who may be using AI.

Will the guardrails, though, put us behind China?

No.

I think that there's a way to to innovate and to make sure that we're doing it in a smart way.

You know, I don't want to push back and say that we shouldn't have it at all when the rest of the world could be leading in this effort.

We need to make sure that we remain competitive and exceeding the competition that China gives us.

You voted against the yes Save Act.

Do you have a, a belie that this is going to be a fair and secure electio or or do you have some concerns in Mail-In ballots or even in person, in the tally of the results?

Well, look, you know, when I voted against the Save Act it was to protect especially women in, in our distric that were reaching out to say, I got married.

Now, my driver's license doe not match my birth certificate.

And under this, under this bill, it would mean that so many people have no rights to vote.

It was going to take awa the rights of American people.

We do need to make sure that only Americans can vote, absolutely full stop.

We also need to make sure that we are allowing those in our local municipalities to do this election.

And I do have the faith in the people here in the state of Illinois and across the river in Iowa to be able to have these elections done fairly.

To root out when, when there are people that are illegally voting.

Absolutely.

We should root them out.

They should not be allowed.

But we're not going to do i at the expense of taking rights away from people.

Our thanks to the Illinois Democratic 17th Congressional District candidate, Eric Sorenson.

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