The contentious Senate struggle over Chuck Hagel's confirmation is drawing to a close. The Senate voted 71 to 27 moments ago to end debate on Hagel's bid to replace Leon Panetta as Secretary of Defense. This vote passed the Senate's threshold of 60 votes to end debate and proceed to a vote. (A full roll call of the Senate cloture vote is attached at the end of this article.)
Hagel's nomination will now come to a full vote in the Senate, where it is expected to pass with a simple majority of all 55 Democrats (including affiliated Independents) and at least two Republicans.
This ends a long fight between the Obama Administration (which nominated the former Republican senator at the beginning of the year) and Senate Republicans who expressed grave concerns about Hagel's views on Israel and Iran, as well as his characterization of the Defense Department's budget as "bloated." Hagel's nomination saga was complicated by his testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, during which he appeared so groggy, confused and ill-prepared that even former spokesman Robert Gibbs called him ???unprepared and unimpressive.???
Two weeks ago, Hagel's first confirmation vote ended with a failed effort by Senate Democrats to get a cloture vote. Although All but three Republicans voted against cloture at the time, influential Sens. John McCain (R-Arizona), Saxby Chambliss (R-Georgia) and others indicated their intention to end debate when the Senate returned from its recess today. Accordingly, a critical number of Republicans have voted with Democrats to end debate on the nomination.
However, even the cloture vote has revealed cracks in the GOP Senate roster. Younger Republicans including Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Marco Rubio (Florida) and Rand Paul (Kentucky) still oppose bringing Hagel's nomination to a vote.
Full Senate vote tally:
| Alexander (R-TN), Yea Ayotte (R-NH), Yea Baldwin (D-WI), Yea Barrasso (R-WY), Nay Baucus (D-MT), Yea Begich (D-AK), Yea Bennet (D-CO), Yea Blumenthal (D-CT), Yea Blunt (R-MO), Yea Boozman (R-AR), Nay Boxer (D-CA), Yea Brown (D-OH), Yea Burr (R-NC), Yea Cantwell (D-WA), Yea Cardin (D-MD), Yea Carper (D-DE), Yea Casey (D-PA), Yea Chambliss (R-GA), Yea Coats (R-IN), Nay Coburn (R-OK), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Coons (D-DE), Yea Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Nay Cowan (D-MA), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Nay Cruz (R-TX), Nay Donnelly (D-IN), Yea Durbin (D-IL), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Yea Fischer (R-NE), Nay Flake (R-AZ), Yea |
Franken (D-MN), Yea Gillibrand (D-NY), Yea Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Nay Hagan (D-NC), Yea Harkin (D-IA), Yea Hatch (R-UT), Yea Heinrich (D-NM), Yea Heitkamp (D-ND), Yea Heller (R-NV), Nay Hirono (D-HI), Yea Hoeven (R-ND), Nay Inhofe (R-OK), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Nay Johanns (R-NE), Yea Johnson (D-SD), Yea Johnson (R-WI), Nay Kaine (D-VA), Yea King (I-ME), Yea Kirk (R-IL), Nay Klobuchar (D-MN), Yea Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Lautenberg (D-NJ), Not Voting Leahy (D-VT), Yea Lee (R-UT), Nay Levin (D-MI), Yea Manchin (D-WV), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Yea McConnell (R-KY), Nay Menendez (D-NJ), Yea Merkley (D-OR), Yea Mikulski (D-MD), Yea Moran (R-KS), Nay |
Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murphy (D-CT), Yea Murray (D-WA), Yea Nelson (D-FL), Yea Paul (R-KY), Nay Portman (R-OH), Nay Pryor (D-AR), Yea Reed (D-RI), Yea Reid (D-NV), Yea Risch (R-ID), Nay Roberts (R-KS), Nay Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea Rubio (R-FL), Nay Sanders (I-VT), Yea Schatz (D-HI), Yea Schumer (D-NY), Yea Scott (R-SC), Nay Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Yea Stabenow (D-MI), Yea Tester (D-MT), Yea Thune (R-SD), Yea Toomey (R-PA), Nay Udall (D-CO), Not Voting Udall (D-NM), Yea Vitter (R-LA), Nay Warner (D-VA), Yea Warren (D-MA), Yea Whitehouse (D-RI), Yea Wicker (R-MS), Nay Wyden (D-OR), Yea |
