WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill released the following statement today after Senator Chuck Hagel's nomination to be the next Secretary of Defense was approved in a vote of the Senate Armed Services Committee and sent to the full Senate for consideration:

"As an enlisted combat veteran, Senator Hagel has invaluable firsthand experience, and as a respected public servant who served as a U.S. Senator and more recently on the Defense Policy Board, he has the expertise to be a successful Secretary of Defense. Senator Hagel also has something that's become all-too-rare in Washington-a willingness to work in a bipartisan manner and find commonsense solutions to tough problems. I look forward to working with Senator Hagel, once he is confirmed by the full Senate, to root out wasteful spending, and raise the level of accountability and transparency at the Pentagon."

After a recent face-to-face discussion with Hagel, McCaskill questioned him during a Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing. Her questions covered a variety of issues, including deterring Iran's nuclear weapons program, and efforts to tamp down wasteful spending at the Pentagon-a longstanding priority for McCaskill.

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