Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) suggested on CNN’s State of the Union this morning that the Senate’s health care debate — set to begin tomorrow — ought to be delayed until next year so the Senate can focus on the war in Afghanistan and the U.S. economy.
“The war is terribly important,” Lugar said. “Jobs and our economy are terribly important. This may be an audacious suggestion, but I would suggest we put aside the health care debate until next year, the same way we put cap-and-trade and climate change [aside], and talk now about the essentials — the war and money.”
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), also a guest on State of the Union, swatted that suggestion away.
“Absolutely not,” Reed said.
We have to go ahead and conclude this debate. To stop now would be stopping on the edge of significant reform.
“Frankly, it’s ironic. Under the Bush administration, there was no serious debate about Afghanistan,” Reed said. “That was relegated to the sideline. There was no attempt to pay for it. And suddenly now that becomes a critical need that we put aside health care? I don’t think so. I think we have to push forward.”
CNN’s John King asked both men whether they’d support a war surtax broken out as a separate line item so Americans could see part of their tax dollars going specifically to Afghanistan.
“We may wish to break out that,” Lugar said. “We may wish to discuss higher taxes to pay for it. But we’re not going to do that debating health care in the Senate for three weeks.”
Late Update: Here’s the video.
