Policy & Strategy

The Obama administration should go back to square one on its controversial pick to head the Defense Department or risk further friction with congressional Republicans and the Pentagon in the coming years, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee said Friday.

The Pentagon and White House had wanted former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) in the job for the NATO meeting.

House and Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to extend additional benefits to military same-sex spouses after the Pentagon granted some new benefits this week.

The bills from Armed Services ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) in the House and Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in the Senate would give same-sex spouses healthcare and other benefits that the Pentagon’s directive did not provide.

On Monday, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that the Pentagon would provide 42 previously blocked-off benefits to gay and lesbian spouses of service members.

The congressman said the Pentagon's decision to allow women in combat means they too should register for the Selective Service.

The Topline: Senate Republicans blocked the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) in a 58-40 procedural vote Thursday, delaying his confirmation for at least another week.

Democrats were just one Republican vote away from getting to 60 votes — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) switched his vote for procedural reasons — but their efforts to confirm Hagel this week fell short.

Republican Sens. Thad Cochran (Miss.), Mike Johanns (Neb.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) voted for cloture. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), who had expressed concern about filibustering a Cabinet nominee earlier in the week, voted present.

Democrats had hoped that Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) might have gotten them over the top after the White House responded to their letter asking about President Obama’s actions on the night of last year’s Benghazi, Libya, attack.

But both McCain and Graham said that while their Benghazi concerns were mostly addressed, they would side with other senators in their party who had asked for more information from Hagel before proceeding.

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A trio of Senate Republicans on Wednesday indicated the possibility of sinking White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan's bid to become the head of CIA, unless the White House offers up details on the aftermath of last September's terrorist attack in Libya. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday added Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to the list of White House national security nominees the Senate Republican has stonewalled in recent weeks. 

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Thursday declined to weigh in on the potential filibuster of President Obama’s nominee for Defense secretary, former Sen. Chuck Hagel, by Republicans in the Senate.

“I would remind you,” Boehner told MSNBC’s Luke Russert in a press conference, “that this is the House side of the Capitol. We’re not involved in the Senate nomination process, so you can ask [them].”

Senate Republicans on Thursday told Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) that they would not provide the 60 votes needed to proceed to a final vote on Hagel’s nomination, a Senate Democratic leadership aide told reporters.

Republican senators are setting up what Democrats say is the first-ever filibuster of a Defense secretary nominee.

Senate Intelligence Committee members have requested more information from the White House on armed drones and the attack in Benghazi.