Democrat Juliana Stratton Pressed on $40 Trillion Debt and Federal Government Fraud

Illinois Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Juliana Stratton faces questions about America's national debt, federal government fraud, President Donald Trump's economic policies and immigration enforcement in an interview with The Center Square's Greg Bishop. With the national debt exceeding $40 trillion, Bishop asks Stratton how she would address federal borrowing and spending if elected to the U.S. Senate. Stratton responds by criticizing Trump's tax policies, tariffs and federal spending priorities, arguing that his administration is benefiting wealthy Americans while reducing support for working families. Bishop also presses Stratton about estimates of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal government fraud and whether those funds could be recovered to support other government priorities. Stratton says specific cases of fraud should be investigated and addressed, but criticizes broad reductions to SNAP and Medicaid benefits that she argues harm Americans who depend on those programs. The conversation then turns to immigration and border security. Bishop asks whether there was a border crisis under former President Joe Biden. Stratton discusses Biden's calls for additional immigration resources before criticizing Trump's immigration enforcement policies, including ICE operations in Chicago and the broader Illinois region. She calls for secure borders, more immigration judges, additional caseworkers and a pathway to legal citizenship, while criticizing what she describes as violations of immigrants' constitutional rights. Topics covered in the interview: Illinois U.S. Senate candidate Juliana Stratton America's national debt exceeding $40 trillion Federal spending, government fraud and taxpayer accountability Donald Trump's tax policies and economic agenda SNAP, Medicaid and federal assistance programs Joe Biden's border policies and immigration enforcement ICE operations in Chicago and Illinois Immigration reform, border security and citizenship The 2026 Illinois U.S. Senate race The Center Square's Greg Bishop interviews Stratton about the issues facing Illinois voters and the nation. Subscribe to The Center Square for independent reporting on elections, government spending, public policy and taxpayer accountability. #JulianaStratton #IllinoisSenate #IllinoisPolitics #NationalDebt #DonaldTrump #GovernmentSpending #Immigration #2026Midterms #GregBishop #TheCenterSquare