The State Department's designation Thursday of three members of Nigeria's Boko Haram group as terrorists immediately sparked renewed complaints that the Obama administration hasn't placed the entire outfit on its terror list. 

“The legal ramifications of this designation only affect dealings with three designated individuals, and not the wider Boko Haram organization, which is growing in intent, capability and targeting capacity,” Reps. Peter King (R-N.Y.) and Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) said in a statement. “A conservative estimate of Boko Haram’s size would be a couple hundred, making three members symbolic, but not sufficient.”

King and Meehan, respectively the chairmen of the House Committee on Homeland Security and its counterterrorism subpanel, have twice requested that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton designate the whole group as a terrorist outfit.

President Obama “was really stating the obvious” when he told Russian leader Dmitri Medvedev that he'd have “more flexibility” to deal with Russia's concerns on missile defense after the election, the State Department's top arms-control official told Congress on Thursday.

“He was stating that during this 2012 election year — it's an election year both in the Russian Federation and in the United States of America — it's not going to be a year for breakthroughs,” Assistant Secretary for Arms Control, Verification and Compliance Rose Gottemoeller said at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. “And so he was saying this will be a year that we get the technical experts together, we'll have some discussions about what cooperation may be possible [in the future].”

The March 26 episode has dogged the administration ever since, with some Republicans accusing Obama of having a “secret deal” with Russia to curtail plans for a missile defense shield in Europe. The criticism was back in force Thursday as senators weighed the effects of the New START nuclear disarmament treaty 18 months after passage.

“We cannot afford to be in the business we are in, on this committee or as a country, and be counting one representation for meeting commitments while on the other side we're seeing a wink and a nod to the other side,” said Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.). “We've made a treaty not just with the Russian Federation but with the American people.”

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta offered his condolences and "best wishes" to the newly selected Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on the death of the Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, while leading a delegation to Saudi Arabia this week.

The House Armed Services chairman said Congress isn’t “mature enough” to reach a deal that would reverse sequestration.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cautioned that Iran not be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, not only because of own intentions, but because she believes it would spur a regional arms race.

The chamber passed an amendment that requires reports from the Obama administration on the effects of sequestration.

“That’s not something I personally would bring up — that doesn’t mean that others won’t,” GOP Rep. McKeon said.

The State Department on Thursday designated the leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram organization and two of his acolytes as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists” for their role in attacks on Christian churches and other targets.

A farm bill amendment will require reports from the administration on automatic cuts to both defense and non-defense spending.