Reid files cloture on Hagel-vote after Inhofe blocks the nomination

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.

“This is the first time in the history of our country that a presidential nominee for Secretary of Defense has been filibustered,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “What a shame.”

Reid said senators should prepare for a vote on Friday to advance Hagel’s nomination. 

“A vote will occur on Friday,” Reid said. “Members should plan accordingly.”

Democrats have a 55-vote majority, meaning some Republicans will have to vote to advance Hagel’s nomination if the process is to continue. 

Some Republican lawmakers say Hagel has failed to disclose funding sources for money he received and have questioned whether he received compensation for speeches to "extreme or radical groups." 

Inhofe, the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, said that he and others are forcing the 60-vote threshold not because of Hagel's "merit," but because GOP members want information on Hagel's speeches.

"I’d vote tonight if we could just get the information that has been requested by the minority members of the committee," Inhofe said on the floor Wednesday. "We have made perfectly reasonable requests."

On Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted 14-11 in support of Hagel to head the Department of Defense.

This article was updated at 5:50 p.m. to include floor comments from Sen. Inhofe.

---