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Senate Votes to End Debate on Chuck Hagel

Next up: the long-awaited vote

by
Adam Chandler
February 26, 2013
Defense Secretary Nominee Chuck Hagel(ABC)
Defense Secretary Nominee Chuck Hagel(ABC)

After 12 days of filibustering, the Senate voted to end debate on the nomination of former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel for the post of defense secretary.

More than a dozen Republicans joined Senate Democrats on the 71-to-27 vote to cut off the debate. Republicans who opposed Mr. Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, had insisted that they needed more time to examine his record.

There is now a vote scheduled for later today, which means that Hagel’s confirmation seems to be a lock at this point. Who’s excited?

Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.