Hagel Cloture Vote Passes

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  • 08/21/2022

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
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