Congress lauded outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel for his service after he announced Monday he was stepping down, with some of the most hearty praise coming from Republicans.
But GOP lawmakers quickly added that Hagel was handcuffed by the Obama administration and said national security failures were the fault of President Obama, not the former centrist GOP senator from Nebraska.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif., called Hagel an “excellent” defense secretary who was given “a thankless task of an underfunded Defense Department, growing threats and intrusive White House micromanagement.”
“Even with the cards stacked against him, he led the department with efficiency and aplomb,” McKeon said. “I’m especially grateful for his close coordination with Congress and his insistence on putting the troops first.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called Hagel a “patriot” who was “frustrated with aspects of the administration’s national security policy and decision-making process.”
“The president needs to realize that the real source of his current failures on national security more often lie with his administration’s misguided policies and the role played by his White House in devising and implementing them,” he said.
Hagel became defense secretary in February 2013 after serving in the Senate as a Republican from 1997 to 2009. While known for his moderate approach and ability to reach across party lines, he was confirmed in the Senate 58-41 with only four Republicans voting yes.
In public Hagel appeared reserved and supportive of the administration’s policies. But in October a leaked memo he wrote to National Security Adviser Susan Rice that castigated the administration’s U.S. strategy in Syria suggested a widening schism between the secretary and Obama.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., hinted those differences of opinion had reached an impasse.
“I particularly appreciate [Hagel’s] recent efforts to speak truth to power when it comes to our failing strategy in Syria and Iraq,” he said. “It’s clear to me Secretary Hagel realizes our failures in Syria have also greatly contributed to destabilization in Iraq and a more robust response is required.
“Our failing strategies in Iraq and Syria are President Obama’s fault.”
Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., said that while he didn’t support Hagel’s 2013 nomination to head the Pentagon, “ultimately, the buck stops with the president.”
“It is the president who has failed to communicate a serious national security strategy or set conditions that would have allowed Hagel to succeed at the Pentagon,” he said.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Hagel’s departure “comes at a moment of great peril for our country” and that his successor will confront “daunting” challenges, including modernizing the military to meet potential threats posed by Russia and China, and restructuring the force after more than a decade of counterinsurgency.
“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,” he said.
But Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., said the president, who is now looking for his fourth defense secretary, likely will clash with anyone who holds the post.
“I am doubtful that a new secretary of defense will be able to change the fundamentally misguided policies emanating from the Obama White House,” he said.
Democrats similarly hailed Hagel as a dedicated and conscientious public servant, though predictably held back criticism of the White House.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Hagel served with “dignity and courage.”
“Secretary Hagel exemplifies the enduring commitment of our veterans who continue to contribute to our country as civilians, civic leaders, and public officials,” she said.
Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., called Hagel “a great patriot” and “a very good secretary of defense.
“I’m saddened that the White House was unable to keep him,” he said.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who has pressed the Pentagon to better protect female service members from sexual assault within its ranks, said she didn’t always agree with Hagel “on a number of issues.” But she added she “deeply appreciate[s] his service.”
