Hagel: Coronavirus could be a national disaster if we don't work together
Former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel discusses the deep partisan divide over coronavirus.
Former Sen. Chuck Hagel told Fox News Friday that the coronavirus outbreak should bring members of both parties together, rather than be used for political division.
“Unfortunately, our Congress has been captive to raw partisanship instead of compromise and accomplishment,” Hagel, who spent to terms representing Nebraska in the Senate and served as defense secretary from 2013 to 2015 under Barack Obama, told “The Story." “This is a national tragedy and it’s a national challenge and could be a national disaster if we don’t work together.”
Hagel’s comments came after a series of late-night tweets marked the latest exchange between the White House and congressional Democrats over the outbreak, with each side simultaneously urging the other not to politicize the potential crisis yet also taking shots at press conferences and on social media -- complicating efforts to work together.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., released a joint statement Thursday that outlined what they want to see in a funding bill to help fight the coronavirus. The statement also included the line: "this is not the time for name-calling or playing politics," in what appeared to be a swipe at Trump.
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“I don’t think it helps anybody or gets us to a solution or gets us to where we need to be when we go after each other in these rank -- just raw partisan ways,” Hagel said, adding that the Senate should be encouraged to form a “bipartisan caucus” to work on regular order.
Hagel described regular order as the Republicans and Democrats use of the sub-committee and committee process to “address differences, compromise, pass oversight legislation,” among other functions.
“The Senate doesn’t do that anymore,” Hagel said.