Defense

Democrats are hoping to end debate on President Obama's nominee for Defense secretary.

Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) told Defense Secretary Leon Panetta that he has concerns about a new medal for drone operators and others not in direct ground combat.

Toomey sent Panetta a letter Tuesday saying he doesn’t think the new Distinguished Warfare Medal should be ranked above some traditional combat valor medals such as the Bronze Star.

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced a bill Thursday that would give same-sex spouses in the military equal benefits.

The Charlie Morgan Military Spouses Equal Treatment Act would require the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to honor any marriage that has been recognized by a state and provide equal benefits to the spouses of all service members.

Senate Democrats will not have enough votes to end debate on Hagel's nomination.  

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said he would not let Republicans set a new precedent by holding Secretary of Defense nominee Chuck Hagel to a different standard than past nominees.

“We cannot have two different disclosure requirements,” Levin said Thursday. “One for Sen. Hagel and one for everyone else.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed a cloture motion on the nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) to be the next Secretary of Defense.

Reid said he was forced to file the motion Wednesday because Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) and other Republicans “are not willing to consider” Hagel’s nomination. This means Democrats will need 60 votes to advance President Obama's nomination.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said that once work on the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is finished the Senate would proceed to a vote on the confirmation of Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense.

Reid said the Senate might have to delay six amendment votes on VAWA until Tuesday because some senators’ flights have been delayed due to bad weather.

A bipartisan group of senators asked President Obama for legal justifications for his authority to kill American citizens during the course of counterterrorism operations.

On Monday, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Dick Durbin (Ill.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Al Franken (D- Minn.) sent Obama a letter seeking the legal opinions issued by the Department of Justice, which give the president authority to authorize the deaths of U.S. citizens.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Monday that Chuck Hagel's commitment to bring Department of Defense spending under control will weigh heavily on whether he can support Hagel's nomination to lead the Pentagon.

McCain made this pronouncement during a 30 minute speech on the Senate floor, in which he said the "culture of inefficiency" at DOD needs to be changed from the top down.

The Senate will have an opportunity next week to grill John Brennan — President Obama’s nominee to take over as director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

In a rare open hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, senators will decide if Brennan has what it takes to lead the CIA. Brennan has been serving as Obama’s chief counterterrorism adviser.