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• Varilek said the $716 billion represents planned savings in Medicare that would not harm benefits, and he said Noem has voted for a proposal that would privatize the health care plan for retired people, forcing them to pay an average of $6,400 a year more for health care.
• Some of the sharpest exchanges came in discussions of tax policy, as Varilek criticized Noem for supporting tax plans he said that would protect millionaires and oil companies.
• "We've got someone standing up for the Donald Trumps, Warren Buffetts and Paris Hiltons of the world," the Democrat said.
• Varilek said he supports ending Bush-era tax breaks for those earning more than $250,000 a year. A combination of those tax increases and spending cuts could cut the deficit while preserving crucial education programs, he said.
• Noem said she opposes any tax increases until the tax system is overhauled to rid it of loopholes and exemptions. Varilek's support for a tax increase on those earning more than $250,000 would hit many small businesses, causing them to cut 2,200 jobs in South Dakota, she said.
• Noem said Varilek has supported a plan to tax excess energy that would devastate South Dakota businesses and farms.
• Varilek scoffed at the charge, saying: "The problem is this attack is false."
• Varilek repeated his allegations that Noem has failed in her two years in the House to break congressional gridlock and get a farm bill passed. He has criticized her for missing many meetings of the House Agriculture Committee.
• Noem said she has a 99 percent voting record in committees and attended many meetings that Varilek has accused her of skipping.
• "It's just simply a smear campaign," she said.
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