Tag Archives: Armed Services Committee

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Statement from the President on Senator Carl Levin

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By The White House

If you’ve ever worn the uniform, worked a shift on an assembly line, or sacrificed to make ends meet, then you’ve had a voice and a vote in Senator Carl Levin. No one has worked harder to bring manufacturing jobs back to our shores, close unfair tax loopholes, and ensure that everyone plays by the same set of rules. As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Senator Levin is a true champion for all those who serve, and his tireless work will be missed not just in his home state of Michigan, but by military families across our country. Michelle and I wish Carl, Barbara and their family all the best, and I look forward to working with Carl over the next two years as we continue tackling some of our nation’s toughest challenges.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at The White House Press Office

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Hagel stalled, but confirmation still expected

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By delaying a confirmation vote on Chuck Hagel to be defense secretary, Senate Republicans have forced Leon Panetta to remain on the job he is eager to give up. But they’ve also given the White House an opportunity to cast the GOP as obstructing President Barack Obama‘s assembly of a second-term national security team.

Senate Republicans temporarily blocked a Hagel confirmation vote on Thursday, insisting that the administration must first answer more questions about its handling of a terrorist attack last September on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, called it “political posturing.”

“Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, it got worse,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said after the GOP forced the delay.

The Senate action amounted to a parliamentary maneuver, with Democrats needing 60 votes for Hagel’s confirmation to move forward. It fell two votes short.

Still, Hagel is likely to win confirmation on a mostly party-line vote after the Senate returns from next week’s recess. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., said he expects many of his Republican colleagues to join him then to end the debate.

Alexander stopped short of predicting Hagel will be confirmed, but that is almost assured if he only needs a simple majority, and Democrats control the Senate by a 55-45 margin. Alexander called Thursday’s vote “unfortunate” and “unnecessary” because Hagel’s nomination came up on the Senate floor too quickly — just two days after it was approved by a divided Armed Services Committee.

The unprecedented stall tactic against a defense secretary nominee raised the rancor of frustrated Democrats, who immediately accused Republicans of threatening security and said they unnecessarily undercut U.S. credibility abroad.

“The world is too dangerous to have this period of uncertainty,” said Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The nomination of John Brennan as CIA director was also delayed; the Senate Intelligence Committee pushed off a vote amid Republican demands that the White House turn over more details about drone strikes against terror suspects and about the Benghazi attack.

In contrast, the Senate swiftly confirmed John Kerry to succeed Hillary Rodham Clinton as secretary of state.

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Senate panel to vote Tuesday on Hagel nomination

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Senate Democrats are pushing ahead with a vote Tuesday on Chuck Hagel‘s nomination to be defense secretary, rejecting Republican demands for more financial information from Hagel in a politically charged fight over President Barack Obama‘s second-term national security team.

In a brief statement, Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said the panel would meet Tuesday afternoon with the “intention to vote on the nomination after the members have an opportunity for discussion.” Levin had hoped to hold a committee vote last Thursday, but postponed it amid complaints from Republicans that Hagel hadn’t sufficiently answered questions about his personal finances.

Not all Republicans shared that view, however.

“I have examined the information and responses to members’ questions that Senator Hagel has provided to the committee, and I believe that he has fulfilled the rigorous requirements that the committee demands of every presidential nominee to be secretary of defense,” Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement Monday backing Levin’s plans for a vote.

McCain’s expression of confidence in Hagel’s answers was a crucial counterpoint to GOP criticism of the nominee, who still faces Republican threats to block or delay his selection. McCain, the panel’s former top Republican, has said he’s leaning against supporting his former colleague and friend, but he made clear he would not participate in any walkout by committee Republicans over a Hagel vote.

Obama tapped Hagel, a former two-term Nebraska Republican senator and twice-wounded combat veteran in Vietnam, to succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who is stepping down after serving as CIA director and Pentagon chief in the president’s first term.

Hagel, 66, has faced strong opposition from Republicans over his past statements and votes on Israel, Iran, nuclear weapons and Iraq, in which he initially backed the war but later opposed it.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday that the full Senate could vote either Wednesday or Thursday on the nomination, dismissing talk of a filibuster of a Cabinet nominee as unprecedented.

“There’s never in the history of the country ever been a filibuster on a defense secretary, and I’m confident there won’t be on this one,” Reid said at the start of the Senate session.

Democrats hold a 14-12 edge on the Armed Services panel and it’s likely that Hagel will win approval on …read more
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Senate panel postpones vote on Hagel nomination

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A Senate panel on Wednesday abruptly postponed a vote on Chuck Hagel‘s nomination to be defense secretary amid Republican demands for more information from President Barack Obama‘s nominee about his finances.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, had hoped to vote on the nomination on Thursday during a separate hearing on Libya, but Levin issued a statement late Wednesday saying no vote would occur this week.

“The committee’s review of the nomination is not yet complete. I intend to schedule a vote on the nomination as soon as possible,” Levin said.

Hours earlier, committee Republicans said they were dissatisfied with information Hagel had provided the panel after his confirmation hearing last week and no vote should occur.

Hagel, a former two-term Republican senator from Nebraska, has faced strong opposition from his former GOP colleagues who have questioned his past statements and votes on Israel, Iran and nuclear weapons. It was unclear whether the delay in the vote would derail the nomination or merely postpone action on Obama‘s choice to replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

In a letter to Hagel, Republicans complained that he failed to answer several questions, including details on all compensation of more than $5,000 that he had received over the past five years. They also had pressed him on his recent speeches, the groups he has addressed and their donors.

“The committee, and the American people, have a right to know if a nominee for secretary of defense has received compensation, directly or indirectly, from foreign sources,” Senate Republicans wrote. “Until the committee receives full and complete answers, it cannot in good faith determine whether you should be confirmed as secretary of defense.”

The Associated Press obtained a copy of the letter, which was signed by more than two dozen Republicans, including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Freshman Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who opposes Hagel’s nomination, had complained to his colleagues about the information the nominee provided during a closed meeting on Tuesday. Other Republicans raised objections to a vote.

“I’m not going to make any decision on Sen. Hagel until we get all the information we’ve requested,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told a small group of reporters on Wednesday. “I don’t think we should be voting.”

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Republican Hagel faces GOP critics at hearing

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Republican Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama‘s nominee for defense secretary, is facing GOP critics who have challenged his past comments on Israel, Iran and nuclear weapons.

The former two-term senator from Nebraska is the lone witness at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday that could be crucial in determining whether he will win Senate confirmation to succeed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Obama‘s second-term national security team. Two former committee chairmen — Democrat Sam Nunn and Republican John Warner — will introduce the nominee.

If confirmed, Hagel, a decorated Vietnam combat veteran, would be the first enlisted man and first Vietnam veteran to serve as defense secretary.

Hagel has the announced backing of about a dozen Democrats and the tacit support of dozens more who are unlikely to embarrass the president by defeating his Cabinet pick. One Republican — Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi — has said he will vote for his former colleague.

Six Republicans, including four members of the Armed Services panel, have said they will oppose Hagel’s nomination. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, the top GOP lawmaker on the committee, has said he and Hagel are “too philosophically opposed” on issues such as defense spending, nuclear weapons and the Middle East.

Crucial for Hagel will be the questioning by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Hagel and McCain are fellow Vietnam veterans who once had a close relationship during their years in the Senate, but politics and Hagel’s opposition to increased troop numbers in Iraq divided the two men.

McCain has praised Hagel’s military service but said he had serious concerns about positions the nominee has taken on various issues. He said he is reserving judgment until after the hearing. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., earlier this month described Obama‘s selection as an “in-your-face” pick but was a bit less critical this week.

“Who are we getting — the guy today or the guy who said things before?” Graham said Tuesday after a 20-minute meeting with Hagel. Graham said he doesn’t doubt Hagel’s “personal integrity, but I do have real concerns about his policy positions.”

The hearing will be the first time Hagel publicly addresses the barrage of criticism that he is not sufficiently pro-Israel or tough enough on Iran. In the past, Hagel has questioned the efficacy of unilateral sanctions on Iran, arguing that penalties in conjunction with international partners made more sense. He has also been criticized for his comments about the influence of a “Jewish lobby” and his view of gay rights.

He addressed several of the issues in a 112-page questionnaire to the committee in which he said his wartime experience would shape his decisions about using military force.

“I understand what it is like to be a soldier in war,” wrote Hagel. “I also understand what happens when there is poor morale and discipline among the troops and a lack of clear objectives, intelligence and command and control from Washington. I believe that experience will help me as secretary of defense to ensure we maintain the best fighting force in the world, protect our men and women in uniform and ensure that we are cautious and certain when contemplating the use of force.”

In his responses, Hagel adopted a hard line on Iran and its possible pursuit of a nuclear weapon. He echoed Obama‘s view that all options are feasible to stop Tehran, praised the rounds of penalties and warned of “severe and growing consequences” if Iran balks at international demands.

Questioned about all options, Hagel said, “If confirmed, I will focus intently on ensuring that the U.S. military is in fact prepared for any contingency.”

He said that he would continue to put in place the “smart, unprecedented and effective sanctions against the Iranian regime” that Congress and the Obama administration have adopted in recent years.

The criticism of Hagel has surprised some of Hagel’s strongest backers.

“This idea that’s being propagated that he might be soft on adversaries. Chuck Hagel‘s not soft on anybody, particularly himself,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a member of the Armed Services Committee, in a conference call with Hagel allies. “He drives hard. He’s someone who searches for the right approach and the right policy.”

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

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Maine Sen. King: No strong reason to oppose Hagel

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Maine Sen. Angus King said Thursday that he sees no strong reason to oppose President Barack Obama‘s pick for secretary of defense.

The newly elected senator, an independent, said in an interview with The Associated Press that he won’t make a final decision on former Sen. Chuck Hagel‘s nomination until confirmation hearings are finished. King serves as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on Jan. 31.

“I start with a presumption that the president should be able to appoint his own people to his Cabinet. So unless there’s some strong disqualifying element or quality to the nominee, I start with that positive presumption,” King said.

Asked whether he saw a strong disqualifying element or quality with Hagel, King said, “No.”

“But I want to see what the testimony is at the hearing and have a chance to talk to him directly,” he added.

King said he was scheduled to meet privately with Hagel on Friday, but a King spokesman says the meeting has been moved to next week.

Hagel did meet Thursday with Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Leahy had previously expressed his support for the nominee. In a statement, he called Hagel “superb and highly qualified.”

“I know his sense of integrity and his great knowledge of our defense and foreign policies,” Leahy said. “He knows about national defense from the ground up and from his own deeply personal experience — he still carries the wounds of war. The fact that he would be the first enlisted service member to head the Pentagon is significant, and it is timely.”

A handful of Republicans have expressed their opposition to Hagel, a Republican who served two terms as a senator from Nebraska. His nomination gained some Democratic momentum this week with the backing of Sens. Chuck Schumer and Barbara Boxer, but the opposition of the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, was a blow.

If confirmed, Hagel would be the first Vietnam veteran to serve as the secretary of defense.

“The idea that he’s been an enlisted man, a decorated Vietnam veteran, he knows the reality of the life of the ordinary soldier is a big plus,” King said. “I’ve heard people dismiss that, say, ‘Oh, that’s no big deal.’ I think it is. I think it’s a significant piece of what he brings to this position.”

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

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Schumer to back Hagel for Pentagon's top job

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Sen. Chuck Schumer, an influential Democrat and member of the party’s leadership, said Tuesday he would back President Barack Obama‘s choice of Chuck Hagel to head the Pentagon despite earlier misgivings about the Republican’s stand on Israel, Iran and gay rights.

In a lengthy statement, Schumer said he met for 90 minutes with Hagel on Monday and received assurances on a range of issues from the former Republican senator.

“I am currently prepared to vote for his confirmation. I encourage my Senate colleagues who have shared my previous concerns to also support him,” Schumer said.

The face-to-face meeting took place in the West Wing of the White House. While there, Schumer also met with Obama in the Oval Office, according to a Senate aide. Schumer told Obama that Hagel’s responses on Israel were critical to his decision on the nomination.

Schumer telephoned Hagel Tuesday morning and informed him of his decision, according to the aide.

Hagel has faced opposition from his former Republican colleagues and lukewarm support from some Democrats before and after Obama tapped him to replace Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

But Schumer’s support coupled with backing from Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., a senior member of the Foreign Relations Committee, will be critical to the prospects for his nomination. The two are the more prominent Jewish members of the Senate, and Schumer is the third-ranking Senate Democrat.

In a conference call with reporters, Boxer said she was unaware that Schumer had announced his support for Hagel, but the fact that the two lawmakers reached their decision independently would be a boost to his nomination.

Boxer said she was confident that Hagel would carry out Obama‘s policies.

She added: “I feel people are being very unfair to Chuck Hagel.”

Schumer said Hagel told him that he backs all steps necessary, including the use of military force, to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Schumer also said Hagel told him that he has always supported Israel‘s right to retaliate militarily against attacks by Hezbollah or Hamas.

Hagel drew widespread criticism for referring to the “Jewish lobby” in describing certain pro-Israel groups. Schumer said Hagel understands the sensitivity of the “such a loaded term and regrets saying it.”

“I know some will question whether Senator Hagel‘s assurances are merely attempts to quiet critics as he seeks confirmation to this critical post. But I don’t think so,” Schumer said. Senator Hagel realizes the situation in the Middle East has changed, with Israel in a dramatically more endangered position than it was even five years ago. His views are genuine, and reflect this new reality.”

Schumer said Hagel also provided assurances on gay rights and abortion rights for members of the military.

Hagel has reached out to all 100 senators and his meeting with Schumer was the first of a dozen one-on-one sessions planned over the next few weeks.

Hagel’s confirmation hearing before the Armed Services Committee will probably occur within weeks.

Boxer said late Monday that she would support Hagel’s nomination. She said he provided answers to a range of questions and promised to support Obama‘s policies “without reservation.”

The former Nebraska GOP senator has been dogged by questions of whether he’s soft on Iran, weak in his backing for Israel and opposed to gay rights.

“A lot of charges rise up and fall when the facts are presented,” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a friend of Hagel’s, said in an interview Monday. “That’s the same thing that’s going to happen here. These claims — suddenly claims are debunked — and we get on to substance.”

Backers of Hagel’s nomination counter criticism by pointing to his votes for some $40 billion in military and security aid for Israel during his 12 years in the Senate and his support for all options, including military action, to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. They argue that his position on gay rights has evolved.

Despite the support, Hagel — a Republican tapped by a Democratic president — has few advocates in either party in the Senate and a limited number of opportunities to make inroads with the GOP.

Democrats hold a 55-45 advantage in the Senate, and the party has the numbers to confirm Hagel if the vote is a simple majority. A possible Republican filibuster and a threshold of 60 votes would add even more rancor to the current fight between Democrats and Republicans over Senate rules just as the leaders are trying to negotiate a compromise.

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