Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Thursday announced he would schedule a preliminary Friday vote on whether to confirm former Nebraska Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel as defense secretary, citing a pressing need to fill the position.
"In less than two hours, our country will be without a secretary of defense," Reid said on the Senate floor just after the Senate convened. Leon Panetta, the current defense chief, can officially step down at noon on Thursday. (White House spokesman Josh Earnest on Thursday told reporters aboard Air Force One that the White House expects Panetta to continue to serve until Hagel's confirmation.)
Republicans including Arizona Sen. John McCain and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham have tried to delay the vote over concerns about Hagel's record and consulting and speaking fees as well as ongoing questions unrelated to Hagel about the administration's handling of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.
A bitterly divided Senate Armed Services Committee voted on Tuesday to send Hagel's nomination to the full Senate for consideration. The vote was 14-11, with all Republicans voting no.
Though Republican leaders in the House and Senate have not publicly advocated for a filibuster, and McCain has spoken out against the tactic, Senate Republican leadership has communicated to Democrats that they intend to withhold the votes necessary for cloture, a Senate Democratic leadership aide said Thursday.
Reid, speaking from the Senate floor, sent a warning to those Republicans.
"Not a single nominee for a secretary of defense never in the history of our country has ever been filibustered," Reid said.
He added, "This isn't high school getting ready for a football game ... or a play. ... There are serious consequences to this delay."
Reid suggested that Republicans pressured by the tea party and facing primary challenges in 2014 are hoping to score political points by holding up Hagel's nomination. "It's tragic," he said.
Earnest on Thursday suggested the delay could be damaging, noting that there is a NATO defense ministerial meeting on Afghanistan scheduled for next week.
"We need our new defense secretary to be there," Earnest said. "It does not send a favorable signal for Republicans in the United States Senate to delay a vote on the president's nominee. ... It's difficult to explain to our allies exactly why that's happening."
Earnest referred to the delaying tactics as "unconscionable."
Republican leaders continue to refrain from advocating for a filibuster.
When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took the microphone from Reid on the Senate floor on Thursday morning, McConnell addressed the sequester and did not mention Hagel or Reid's speech on the defense nominee.
Reid on Wednesday filed a motion to end debate and hold a cloture vote, which will require 60 senators to proceed. If all 55 Democrats vote to proceed, the party will still need five Republicans to side with them.
If the procedural vote passes, the Senate may then debate for up to 30 hours before holding the final confirmation vote.
Chris Moody contributed to this story.
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