CLINTON —
U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar may have lost his re-election bid in the Republican primary, ending his 36-year career in the Senate, but he is not done serving the people of Indiana, he said in an interview Friday.
Lugar, 80, the longest serving senator in Indiana’s history, was in Vermillion County for the dedication of a school-based mobile health clinic.
In comments after the dedication, he said he’s made no plans as to what he will do after his tenure on the Senate ends. “I’m going to do the very best job I can representing Indiana … until my term comes to an end,” he said.
He believes it’s “a matter of ethics” and “unwise to be hinting at various other options.”
The Senate’s most senior Republican, Lugar said he remains “very busy” and recently devoted much effort to the Farm Bill, which passed out of the Senate with strong bipartisan support. Bipartisanship “is possible,” he said.
He remains heavily involved with the Foreign Relations Committee, although he acknowledges that “by and large, this is not a subject that has been of great interest to most Americans.”
People are concerned about jobs and federal spending. “I understand that,” he said, but he also notes, “There is a big world out there.”
He plans to go to Russia and Ukraine in August to get a firsthand look at continuing efforts to dismantle nuclear weapons.
In 1992, he and Sen. Sam Nunn sponsored the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, dedicated to securing and dismantling weapons of mass destruction in former Soviet Union states.
In 2010 he led a mission to Africa to expand efforts to secure deadly biological threats so they would not fall into the hands of terrorists.
Lugar said his efforts to make the world a safer place will continue. “We have some influence and ability to bring about greater safety with regard to weapons of mass destruction in the biological and chemical areas,” he said.
Regardless of his defeat in the May primary, “There are issues around the world in which we can help to be effective,” he said.
Commenting on more recent issues, he said that the cost of implementing President Obama’s Affordable Care Act will be “very considerable.”
According to his Senate website, he favors “full repeal of the massively expensive ObamaCare law.” It will cause tax increases, he believes, and fails to control rapid increases in health care costs. He also believes it will present additional burdens to small businesses.
But there are aspects of the health care act that even Lugar supports.
The school-based mobile health clinic that will serve Vermillion and Parke counties was funded through a $350,552 federal grant, part of the Affordable Care Act.
The mobile health clinic is a cost-efficient use of taxpayer dollars that will save money with its focus on preventative services and timely treatment of illness, he said. Parents won’t have to miss as much work, because children will receive the health care services at school.
The future of the Affordable Care Act will be decided by Congress and the next president. “I’m certain that debate is going to occur,” Lugar said, and many of its regulations must still be written.
“Americans will have to determine whether a much larger part of our gross national product goes to health care,” he said.
Lugar also took aim at Super PACS and their role in his election loss. He referred to the Citizens United case and the Supreme Court ruling that removed funding restrictions on corporations and labor unions for political advertising campaigns.
Critics say it allows corporations and unions to spend unlimited sums of money to influence elections.
Lugar said “there has been a conscious attempt through usually outside money, outside groups, to enforce their will,” which is not necessarily the will of the people of a state or district.
The so-called Super PACS, “as I have witnessed in my own re-election campaign, come into the states, broadcast their own messages, have their own agendas,” which might not reflect the views of the state’s Democratic or Republican parties, he said.
The Supreme Court decision “allows virtually unlimited political spending from wherever in the world you can get it,” Lugar said.
Some suggest the Citizens United decision is fueling partisanship and making consensus more difficult.
Congress these days “is a great deal more partisan,” and it has hampered the Senate this year in getting things done, he said.
“Many people feel very satisfied they got their way,” but Congress is receiving very low approval ratings from the public, Lugar said.
The word “compromise” has taken on a negative connotation and is something people “almost campaign against,” he said.
Maybe another word should be used, such as “conversation” in which people listen to others’ point of view, at least “on occasion,” he said.
“Pragmatically, many economic, health issues, even issues with regard to nuances of foreign policy, are going to require many views and they better all be heard so we come to the very best conclusion,” he said.
Sue Loughlin can be reached at (812) 231-4235 or sue.loughlin@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Not done serving: U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, 80, the longest serving senator in Indiana�s history, was in Vermillion County Friday for the dedication of a school-based mobile health clinic.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Not done serving: U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, 80, the longest serving senator in Indiana�s history, was in Vermillion County Friday for the dedication of a school-based mobile health clinic.
-
Tribune-Star/Joseph C. Garza Not done serving: U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, 80, the longest serving senator in Indiana�s history, was in Vermillion County Friday for the dedication of a school-based mobile health clinic.
Discussion
Lugar talks life after Congress
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Illinois Senate approves sex education bill
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A proposal that revamps sex education in Illinois public schools to include information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases has cleared the state Senate.
-
Gregg pondering 2nd run for Indiana governor
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg is pondering another run at the state's top job, but has yet to make a decision.
-
Illinois senator apologizes for Nazi remark
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Sen. Donne Trotter has apologized for remarks that compared a member of Gov. Pat Quinn’s cabinet to a Nazi.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 22, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Tuesday and Wednesday, based on jail records.
-
Rose-Hulman professor researching ways to make homes storm safe
Tornadoes produce greater uplift forces than hurricanes, which can flatten homes such as in Moore Okla., south of Oklahoma City.
-
Group wants to connect downtown Terre Haute with the Wabash River
Fairbanks Park is underutilized.
The Wabash River is peaceful and inviting, but there is some concern about its cleanliness as well as pollution levels. Also, people can’t get on the river unless they have a boat. -
New conservancy district appoints first directors
Members of the first board of directors of a new lake conservancy district were appointed Tuesday by the Vigo County Board of Commissioners.
-
Vigo law enforcement signs Triad charter to protect seniors
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller joined Vigo County law enforcement and community activists Tuesday to sign the county’s first Triad charter, becoming the 22nd Triad in Indiana.
-
Wabash Valley Red Cross wraps up Save the Day Campaign
The American Red Cross Wabash Valley Chapter’s 2013 annual meeting concluded the 17th annual Save the Day Campaign, and the results lifted the spirits of all who were involved.
-
Some Vigo roads washed out
Spring storms resulted in $250,000 in damages to roads in southern Vigo County, with costs including sand and labor to save homes near river bottoms, said county highway Assistant Superintendent Dan Bennett.
-
County Council votes $78K toward rail spur
County officials voted Tuesday night to make good on a 2011 promise to help improve a railroad spur just north of Terre Haute for Menard Inc.
-
Spring flooding damages future CSO holding lagoon
Flood waters from the Wabash River have done costly damage to one of the city-owned “lagoons” on former International Paper property.
-
Vigo tops state average for IREAD-3 scores
The Vigo County School Corp. exceeded the state average in the percentage of students passing the state’s mandatory Grade 3 reading test, IREAD-3.
-
Storms cause minor damage in Valley
Tuesday morning storms in the Wabash Valley caused thousands of Duke Energy customers to lose power.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 21, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Monday and Tuesday, based on jail records.
-
UPDATE: Damage surveys show 2 weak tornadoes hit near Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — The National Weather Service says storm surveys show two weak tornadoes struck central Indiana.
-
Storm causes scattered Indiana power outages
INDIANAPOLIS — A line of thunderstorms that moved across Indiana caused scattered building damage and power outages for several thousand homes and businesses.
-
Kindergartner diagnosed with MD treated to a day with the fire department
“He’ll just never forget this day,” Stacey Manley said, a little bit tearfully, as she watched her smiling 6-year-old son Carter sitting happily in the captain’s seat of Fire Engine 2.
-
Casey, Illinois aims for another world record
The town of Casey, Ill., may soon weave its way into the record books as the small town with the most world records. After setting records for the world’s largest wind chimes and the world’s largest golf tee, Casey is now looking to become home to the world’s largest knitting needles and crochet hook.
-
Rose-Hulman projects will promote growth, learning for people with physical challenges
Life changed dramatically for college engineering student Drew Christy on Feb. 22, 2008 when he was involved in an auto accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
-
‘500’ gas stations being sold to Speedway LLC
After several decades in business, the area’s familiar “500” gasoline stations and convenience stores will soon be missing from the roadsides of Vigo and Sullivan counties.
-
Terre Haute woman faces 14 charges
A Terre Haute woman faces 14 criminal counts after her arrest Friday on drug-related charges.
-
Two adults injured in ATV accident
Two adults were injured Sunday evening while riding an all-terrain vehicle near Lexington Farms Subdivision off Moyer Drive in southern Vigo County.
-
Vigo schools’ medical claims down 4 percent
The Vigo County School Corp.’s medical claims were about $13 million over the last 12 months, down 4 percent from the prior year, said Diane Titchenell, an Anthem account manager that works with the school district.
-
2013 Government Directory now available
The 2013 Government Directory is now available.
-
UPDATE: 5 killed, 6 injured in I-70 van crash in Illinois
ST. LOUIS — A van carrying church members returning from a California gathering careened off of a southern Illinois freeway and overturned several times today, killing five people and sending six others to hospitals, authorities said.
-
2 children reported dead from Indianapolis fire
INDIANAPOLIS — Authorities say some autistic children lived in the Indianapolis condominium unit where a fire has killed two children.
-
Tighter Indiana drunken driving law seems unlikely
INDIANAPOLIS — Some key Indiana legislators say it’s unlikely that the state will any time soon go along with a federal safety board’s recommendation that the threshold for drunken driving be cut nearly in half.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 20, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, based on jail records.
-
Life-Size Ping Pong: Valley pickleball tourney draws large crowd to Brittlebank Park
It’s been described as “ping pong on steroids.”
Some people call it “life-size ping pong where you stand on the table.” - More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
Illinois Senate approves sex education bill
Jodi Arias: Death Penalty Would Cause More Pain
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
Raw: Costa Rica Volcano Roars to Life
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Today in History May 22
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Reunited Dad, Son: 'We Just Praise God'
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
Slow Pokes: Acupuncture Helps Sick Turtles
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
Protests Outside Cincinnati IRS Office
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case
Families Begin Returning to Their Homes in Moore
Raw: Aerial View of Moore Tornado Damage
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
Olivia Munn Flaunts Her Bikini Bod
Britney Spears Under Fire Once Again For Being A Bad Mom
Arias Tells Jury What She'd Do if She Gets Life
The all-new Xbox One
RAW: Massive tornado strikes Oklahoma
Nidal Hasan paid $278K while awaiting trial
