The Senate Armed Services Committee approved the nomination of Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense by a 14-11 margin. All 14 Democrats supported the nomination, and 11 Republicans opposed. Senator David Vitter (R-LA) was not in the room at the time of the vote. Several Republican members voiced concerns over the nominee. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) accused former Senator Hagel of taking money for foreign entities and implied he lied about speeches he had given in the past. Chair Carl Levin (D-MI) reminded members of the committee’s bipartisan history, saying, “We have survived party lines vote before. We will survive this one.”