Defense

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.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said President Obama is putting America’s security at risk by nominating Chuck Hagel to be secretary of Defense.

“Chuck Hagel’s nomination as secretary of Defense has already done damage to the security of the United States,” Cornyn said on the Senate floor Wednesday. “President Obama should choose someone else to lead the Pentagon.”

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan to provide Congress with the secret legal opinions outlining the government’s ability to target and kill Americans believed to be involved in terrorism.

Brennan is set to begin his confirmation process to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) shortly. Wyden sent Brennan a letter Monday requesting the information.

“This situation is unacceptable,” Wyden wrote. “For the executive branch to claim that intelligence agencies have the authority to knowingly kill American citizens but refuse to provide Congress with any and all legal opinions that explain the executive branch’s understanding of this authority represents an alarming and indefensible assertion of executive prerogative.”

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Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said he would support President Obama’s nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of Defense.

“Chuck Hagel will make an outstanding secretary of Defense,” Reed, the No. 2-ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Monday. “Chuck is a man of uncommon independence and integrity. Chuck Hagel's candor, judgment and expertise will serve him well as our next secretary of Defense.”

President Obama isn’t likely to view final passage of the conference agreement as a Christmas present.

The Senate is expected to approve the conference report next, but the White House has said it would veto the bill.

The House on Thursday afternoon approved a rule for debating and voting on the National Defense Authorization Act, a bill setting policy for the Defense Department and authorizing $633 billion in defense spending for 2013.

The 243-177 vote in favor of the bill, H.R. 4310, follows completion of a House-Senate conference on the bill in which the two chambers settled various policy differences.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced a bill Wednesday that would allow the National Guard to support state and local efforts to keep schools safe from violence.

Boxer introduced the Save Our Students (SOS) Act after a mass shooting took place last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., killing 20 children and six adults.

The Senate passed a bill Thursday to cover military service members’ in vitro fertilization (IVF) services through the veterans healthcare system.