DOD nominees advance for Senate votes

The Senate Armed Services Committee today advanced several key Pentagon nominations to the full Senate for final votes.

The nominees include: John Whitley to be director of the Defense Department's cost assessment and program evaluation office; Bradley Hansell to be deputy under secretary of defense for intelligence and security; Lucas Polakowski to be assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs; Shon Manasco to be Air Force under secretary; and Michele Pearce to be Army general counsel.

The committee also voted to advance 893 military nominations.

It's unclear, however, when the nominees will receive final votes in the Senate as Congress is eying a stopgap continuing resolution to keep the federal government funded past Sept. 30 so lawmakers can return to their home states and districts to campaign for the November election.