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Hagel Prevails in Senate After Bruising Bout With G.O.P. Hagel Approved for Defense in Sharply Split Senate Vote
(about 3 hours later)
WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense on Tuesday after a bruising bout with Republicans, while President Obama’s choice to be Treasury secretary headed to the floor with bipartisan support, suggesting that the Republican blockade against the administration’s second-term nominees was beginning to ease. WASHINGTON — The Senate confirmed Chuck Hagel as defense secretary on Tuesday after he survived a bruising struggle with Republicans, while President Obama’s nominee to be Treasury secretary moved closer to approval with bipartisan support. The votes suggested that the Republican blockade against the administration’s second-term nominees was beginning to ease.
After escaping a filibuster by members of his own party, Mr. Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, prevailed in a 58-to-41 vote — the narrowest margin for any defense secretary on record. After escaping a filibuster from members of his own party, Mr. Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, prevailed in a 58-to-41 vote — the smallest margin for a defense secretary since the position was created in 1947, according to Senate records. Fifty-two Democrats, two independents and four Republicans backed Mr. Hagel, and 41 Republicans opposed him.
Hours earlier, the Senate Finance Committee approved the nomination of Jacob J. Lew as Treasury secretary on a 19-to-5 vote. With those nominations advancing, attention turned to the Senate Intelligence Committee vote in the days ahead on the president’s nominee to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency, John O. Brennan. The narrow victory raised questions about whether Mr. Hagel would arrive at the Pentagon as a diminished leader as it faces deep budget cuts that are set to take effect on Friday.
The chances for Mr. Brennan remained good, though his confirmation is not expected to be entirely smooth, as both Republicans and Democrats have raised objections over the agency’s use of drones to kill American citizens suspected of terrorism. Hours before the final vote on Mr. Hagel, the Senate Finance Committee approved the nomination of Jacob J. Lew as Treasury secretary on a 19-to-5 vote. Attention is now turning to the coming vote by the Senate Intelligence Committee on the president’s nominee as C.I.A. director, John O. Brennan.
Senator John McCain of Arizona and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina have also threatened to hold up Mr. Brennan’s nomination over questions about the attack last year on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Both men made similar demands of Mr. Hagel, who, unlike Mr. Brennan, has had no role in formulating the Obama administration’s national security policies. The chances for Mr. Brennan remained good, though his confirmation was not expected to be entirely smooth, as both Republicans and Democrats have raised objections over the agency’s use of drones to kill American citizens suspected of terrorism. Republicans also see the Brennan vote, like the fight over Mr. Hagel, as leverage to press other issues with the White House.
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican, has asked Mr. Brennan to answer questions about the government’s use of drones, and Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said Tuesday that he thought the confirmation process should continue to play out, and he indicated that he was willing to help delay it until Mr. Brennan answered further questions about drones. Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon, said on Tuesday that he favored a longer confirmation process to force the White House to disclose more about the drone program. “There’s an old saw that after somebody is confirmed, they don’t even owe you a holiday card,” he said. “This is the time for vigilant oversight.”
Republicans in the Senate, joined by an array of conservative activists, have waged an all-out campaign to discredit Mr. Hagel that included digging into his financial records for evidence that he was paid by anti-American groups and scouring his old speeches for signs that he was hostile to Israel. Those efforts produced little, forcing most Republicans to acquiesce. Senator Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, has called for similar disclosures on drones and has threatened to use “every procedural option at my disposal” to hold back Mr. Brennan’s nomination.
But even before Mr. Hagel takes office, questions are growing about whether the fight over his confirmation will wound his ability to lead the Pentagon at a time of upheaval both at home and overseas. With a series of huge budget cuts known as the sequester set to go into effect at the end of the week — cuts that will fall hard on the Defense Department if Congress cannot negotiate a compromise — Mr. Hagel will inherit myriad challenges. Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, both Republicans, have threatened to delay the nomination over another issue altogether: the attack last year on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. Both men made similar demands for information during the confirmation of Mr. Hagel, who, unlike Mr. Brennan, has had no role in formulating the Obama administration’s defense and national security policies.
Just four Republicans voted for his confirmation: Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, Mr. Paul and Richard Shelby of Alabama. Even if these efforts serve only to inconvenience the White House and cause the president and his nominees some mild political damage, Republicans say they are satisfied that they are forcing the confirmation process to be more deliberative.
Much of the debate over Mr. Hagel’s nomination focused on previous statements he made on Middle East policy, as well as his readiness to lead the Defense Department. Democrats have said that Mr. Hagel was a strong pick for the job, considering his background in public office and as a soldier in the Vietnam War. They said that the Senate needed to clear Mr. Hagel’s nomination so he could get to work at the Pentagon, given national security issues around the world and pending budget cuts at home. “Probably the best known power of the United States Senate is advise and consent,” said Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee. “Movies have been made about it, books have been written about it. It’s what we do. And we’d be derelict in our duty if we didn’t examine the qualification of our president’s cabinet.”
Republicans said they believed that a shaky performance by Mr. Hagel at his confirmation hearing and his past statements on Israel and a variety of other issues had disqualified him. But Democrats said the process, particularly with Mr. Hagel, had hardly been reflective, let alone worthy of the Senate.
Earlier on Tuesday, John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate Republican, said Mr. Hagel’s worldview was “dangerously misguided,” and he warned that the nominee was ill prepared to handle such a major post. “I don’t think we want a secretary of defense that has to learn on the job,” he added. Senator Barbara Mikulski, Democrat of Maryland, allowed that her Republican colleagues were entitled to ask questions. “But I understand that Jack Lew had 638 questions that he had to answer from one senator,” she said. “Now, really? If you don’t want the guy or gal, vote against them. But don’t drag it out. That’s not politics, that’s petulance.”
But Senator Harry Reid, the majority leader, accused Republicans of stalling the nomination earlier this month for political gain. Republicans in the Senate, joined by an array of conservative activists, waged an all-out campaign to discredit Mr. Hagel, digging into his financial records for evidence that he was paid by anti-American groups and scouring his old speeches for signs that he was hostile to Israel. Those efforts produced little, forcing Republicans to acquiesce after filibustering his nomination in an initial vote this month.
“What has their filibuster gained? Twelve days later, nothing has changed,” he said. “Senate Republicans have delayed for the better part of two weeks for one reason and one reason only: partisanship.” But even before Mr. Hagel takes office, questions are growing about whether the fight will wound his ability to lead the Pentagon at a time of upheaval both at home and overseas. With a series of huge budget cuts known as sequestration set to go into effect — cuts that will fall hard on the Defense Department if Congress cannot negotiate a compromise — Mr. Hagel will inherit myriad challenges.
The action in the Senate on Tuesday will help bring to a close one of the most unusually contentious cabinet-level nomination fights in years, a clash that surprised many in Washington for how personal and bitter it became considering that Mr. Hagel, a Republican senator for two terms, worked alongside many of his antagonists until just four years ago. The four Republican senators who voted for his confirmation were Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, Mr. Paul and Richard Shelby of Alabama.
Asked at a Defense Department news conference on Tuesday whether Mr. Hagel could still be effective despite the difficult confirmation process, George Little, the Pentagon press secretary, was unambiguous: “Absolutely.”
“He has spent much of his life in the halls of the United States Congress,” Mr. Little said. “He understands the importance of a healthy debate.”
Privately, even some Democrats said they were concerned. One Congressional official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said it was alarming that Mr. Hagel was not confirmed with the broad bipartisan support that the Senate usually extends to nominees for defense secretary.
“This is unprecedented territory,” the official said. “He is not just weakened with Republicans. Just think about the Democrats who put their neck out for a Republican nominee for defense secretary. You think it was easy keeping all those Democrats on board? No.”
Nearly all recent defense secretaries have sailed through their final votes, usually receiving just one or two “no” votes. The exception was John G. Tower, the nominee of President George Bush, who was defeated in a 47-to-53 floor vote amid allegations of alcohol abuse and womanizing.
Mr. Hagel was the only nominee for defense secretary to face a filibuster, which Republicans achieved a week and a half ago. On Tuesday, 18 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to cut off debate, while 27 voted to continue the filibuster.
As ugly as the clash over Mr. Hagel became, there were some indications that Republicans were moving on. The vote on Tuesday brought to a close an unusually contentious nomination fight, one that surprised many in Washington for how personal and bitter it became, considering that Mr. Hagel worked alongside many of his antagonists until just four years ago.
One of those senators, Mr. Shelby, who initially supported the filibuster, said, “I wish him well.”

Thom Shanker and Jada F. Smith contributed reporting.