GOP leaders: Hagel successor must be part of new ISIS strategy
Republican congressional leaders are warning that President Obama’s next nominee to lead the Department of Defense needs to be cooperate with Congress and be part of revamped Obama administration strategy to defeat Islamic extremists.
“It is imperative that the next Secretary of Defense possess a sharp grasp of strategy, a demonstrated ability to think creatively, and the willingness and ability to work with Congress,” incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said. “And it is critical that the president consider these qualifications and challenges as he considers such an important nomination.”
{mosads}McConnell said Secretary Chuck Hagel’s replacement has a laundry list of problems ahead of him, such as confronting challenges posed by Russia, China and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
“It’s important to remember that Secretary Hagel’s departure comes at a moment of great peril for our country,” McConnell said Monday. “All of these challenges come at a time when the all-volunteer force faces a shortage of resources and investment.”
The White House announced Monday that Hagel would resign.
Republicans take control of the Senate next year, and it seems unlikely the president will be able to rush his new nominee through the confirmation process during the last month of this Congress.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he hopes Republicans don’t block Obama’s nominee, who still hasn’t been named.
“With the United States facing threats to our national security around the world, it is my hope that Senate Republicans will work with Democrats to give swift and fair consideration to President Obama’s next nominee to this critical post,” Reid said.
Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) echoed his Senate counterpart’s comments, and indicated a priority in the congressional review of the new Pentagon chief will be how he or she plans to handle the U.S. campaign against Sunni militants known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS or ISIL). The New York Times also suggested that the White House forced Hagel out due to concerns over his ability to manage the response to the militants.
“This personnel change must be part of a larger re-thinking of our strategy to confront the threats we face abroad, especially the threat posed by the rise of ISIL,” Boehner said in a statement. “We cannot defeat this enemy without a broad, coordinated, well-thought-out effort that has the strong support of the American people. Thus far, this administration has fallen well short.”
Debate to authorize the use of military force against ISIS is expected to wait until after the new Congress convenes in January. Boehner said earlier this fall that he doesn’t think a lame-duck Congress should be responsible for such a vote.
—This post was updated at 12:07 p.m.
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