This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Jan. 7, 2013 - WASHINGTON – When former U.S. Sen. Chuck Hagel, the nominee for Secretary of Defense, faces what is likely to be a contentious confirmation hearing by the Senate Armed Services Committee, both of Missouri’s senators will be there.
U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt – who serve on that panel – were both careful in their comments Monday about President Barack Obama’s nomination of Hagel. A decorated Vietnam veteran and a former GOP senator from Nebraska, Hagel has taken some flak from both the right and the left.
“Sen. Hagel is a war hero and independent leader who has served our country admirably for decades, and so I look forward to giving him a fair hearing in the Armed Services Committee,” said McCaskill, D-Mo., in a statement.
Also calling for a "fair hearing" was U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who spoke to reporters in Granite City after a news conference about navigability on the Mississippi River. Durbin said Hagel “can do the job as secretary of defense, but we’re all going to listen closely to his answers to questions.” He stopped short of saying whether he would vote to confirm Hagel, adding that he wants to wait for committee hearings to go forward.
“I served with Chuck,” Durbin said. “He was a friend. And I respected him. Still do. He is a veteran of Vietnam – a decorated veteran. He’s I think one of the first enlisted men – certainly from the Vietnam conflict – to be considered for this high Cabinet position. The president has confidence in him. And I believe he deserves a fair hearing before the Senate.”
Durbin said he was surprised that many Republican senators have expressed concern or outright opposition to Hagel’s nomination. For instance, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., characterized the move as an “in your face appointment” from the Obama administration.
“A number of these people who sat in the same room with him for years and worked with him on that committee just jumped out right off the bat and said ‘I can’t support him,’” Durbin said, noting that Hagel deserved a chance to answer their questions. "I hope they’ll reconsider their positions,” Durbin said.
Asked if he thought Hagel’s nomination would make it through the Senate, Durbin said “I think he can.”
“The president trusts him and believes in him,” Durbin said. "I want to give the president the benefit of the doubt when it comes to his Cabinet.”
As the assistant Senate majority leader, Durbin will likely play an important role in lining up (and counting) Senate votes if or when the Armed Services Committee approves the nomination and the full Senate votes on it.
Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who has been outspoken in calling for tougher U.S. sanctions against Iran, was more critical of Hagel. He told Foreign Policy magazine’s “The Cable” this weekend that he had concerns about Hagel.
"I appreciate and respect Sen. Hagel’s record of service to our country, especially as a decorated combat veteran,” Kirk said. But the senator said he was “concerned about his past record and statements, particularly with regard to Iran and the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
Kirk, a Naval Reserve intelligence commander, called for “a rigorous examination of these and other issues of concern.”
McCaskill, too, did not commit to support Hagel, saying she wanted to talk with him about some of her priorities, including reducing waste and fraud in defense contracting. It is traditional for Defense nominees to meet separately with each member of the Armed Services Committee.
“I especially look forward to hearing his ideas on how we can build on our recent successes combatting waste and fraud in wartime contracting, and prevent taxpayer dollars from going to overseas projects that can’t be sustained,” McCaskill said.
Blunt, who was named to the Armed Services panel only last week, was terse in his statement on Hagel: “I plan to meet with Sen. Hagel and I look forward to the nomination hearings.”
As the fifth-ranking Senate GOP leader, Blunt's position on Hagel likely would be influenced by the Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and others in Republican leadership positions. So far, McConnell – like Blunt – has not criticized Hagel but has said he looked forward to his responses to questions at the confirmation hearing.
Several other GOP senators, however, have promised to ask Hagel some tough questions related to his support of Israel, his position on Iran and other issues. In addition, LGBT groups have questioned some of Hagel’s statements about whether openly gay soldiers should serve in the military – statements Hagel has since retracted.
“Hagel, if confirmed to be secretary of defense, would be the most antagonistic secretary of defense toward the state of Israel in our nation's history,” Graham said Sunday on CNN's State of the Union.
On Monday, Hagel acknowledged that he “fully recognize(s)” that the Senate will pass judgment on his nomination. “All I ask is a fair hearing, and I will get that. I am very much looking forward to having a full, open, transparent hearing about my qualifications and my record,” he said.
Introducing Hagel on Monday, Obama said his “leadership of our military would be historic. He’d be the first person of enlisted rank to serve as secretary of Defense, one of the few secretaries who have been wounded in war, and the first Vietnam veteran to lead the department.”
Obama added: “As I saw during our visits together to Afghanistan and Iraq, in Chuck Hagel our troops see a decorated combat veteran of character and strength. They see one of their own.”
Blunt joins Armed Services, leaves Intelligence
The military is important to Missouri, both in terms of its large bases and its major defense contractors, such as Boeing operations in Hazelwood.
That’s a big reason Blunt pushed successfully last week to be appointed to the Senate Armed Services panel, which has jurisdiction over the nation’s defense policies and also develops the defense authorization legislation that sets priorities for the development and procurement of military hardware.
“The Senate Armed Services Committee will be faced with a number of critical challenges and responsibilities this year,” Blunt said in a statement. Those challenges will include “dealing with the sequestration cuts” – the automatic, across-the-board reductions what would go into effect if Congress does not act within two months.
“We must rein in Washington’s out-of-control spending, but those cuts should be targeted in a way that does not jeopardize our national security or military readiness,” Blunt said.
Nearly 18,000 active duty servicemen and women are based in Missouri, in addition to about 10,000 civilian employees, 25,000 reservists and members of the National Guard, and almost 29,000 additional military-related personnel. There are also more than 125,000 civilian employees who work on military contracts in Missouri.
In taking his seat on Armed Services, Blunt gave up his seat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which has jurisdiction over the nation’s intelligence agencies. However, Blunt will keep his seats on the Appropriations Committee, the Rules Committee, and the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
“I’ve enjoyed my time in both the House and the Senate serving as a member of the Intelligence Committee, but this is an important time for members of the military in Missouri and around the world,” Blunt said. “I look forward to starting the critical work facing the Senate Armed Services Committee.”
