WASHINGTON – The Senate Armed Services Committee voted along party lines Monday to send Pete Hegseth’s nomination for defense secretary to the Senate floor as President Donald Trump tries to move quickly to name critical members of his Cabinet.
All 14 Republicans on the committee voted for Hegseth, while all 13 Democrats voted against him. Despite initial concerns about allegations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse and financial mismanagement (all of which Hegseth has denied), not a single Republican senator has so far said he will vote no, meaning he will most likely is on track to be confirmed by the Senate.
Thursday is the earliest date for a vote in the full Senate, unless all 100 members agree to move more quickly.
Trump’s decision in November to pick Hegseth, 44, a former Fox News host who served in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars with the Army National Guard, surprised many in Washington given that he had limited military command or significant management experience. And in the weeks that followed, Hegseth’s nomination appeared on the brink of collapse amid reports that he paid a settlement to a woman who had accused him of sexual assault in a hotel room in 2017 and who had a history of heavy drinking. at work. , even on Fox News.
Hegseth denied all allegations, vowed he wouldn’t touch alcohol if confirmed to lead the Pentagon and said Trump had told him to “keep going, keep fighting.”
Asked after Monday’s vote if he was concerned about Hegseth’s inexperience, Armed Forces Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi, responded: “I don’t have those concerns and I don’t think the Senate majority has those concerns.” , nor do most Americans.”
“I think he’s very knowledgeable and, frankly, we need to change things at the Pentagon,” Wicker continued. “There is too much bureaucracy, too many obstacles, too many boxes to check, and the bureaucracy has become unstable over time. So this is part of the Trump administration’s mandate to change things and do things differently. “
At his Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing last Tuesday, Hegseth faced fierce questions from Democrats about his drinking problems, accusations of infidelity, workplace misconduct and experience. Several senators questioned him about his public comments that women should not serve in combat roles. She responded that she now believes women should have access to combat roles as long as “standards remain high.”
But the sharpest questions came from Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who focused on the allegation of an assault at a hotel in Monterey, California. Local police investigated the incident and prosecutors did not file charges.
“Then you think you are completely acquitted because you committed no crime. That’s your definition of authorized. You had just fathered a child two months earlier with a woman who was not your wife,” Kaine told Hegseth in a testy exchange. “I’m surprised you stand here and say you’re completely acquitted.”
“I was completely acquitted,” Hegseth responded.
“The incident in Monterey resulted in a criminal indictment, a criminal investigation, a private settlement and a cash payment to the woman who filed the complaint. And there was also a confidentiality agreement, correct? Kaine continued. “Why didn’t the commander in chief and the transition team be informed of this very relevant event?”
Only four Republican senators could team with the 47 Democratic senators to derail Hegseth’s nomination. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, an Iraq War veteran and sexual assault survivor, was seen as a possible defection, along with a pair of moderate Republican senators who broke with Trump in the past, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
But after Tuesday’s hearing, Ernst, a member of the Armed Services Committee who faces re-election in 2026, said he would support Hegseth’s nomination.
“Our next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, listening to Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense,” Ernst said in a statement.
“As I serve on the Armed Services Committee,” she said, “I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments to audit the Pentagon, ensure opportunities for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and select a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.”
