Pete Hegseth narrowly secured enough votes on Friday to become the next US Secretary of Defense, a major victory for US President Donald Trump after fierce opposition from Democrats and even some Republicans to his controversial nominee.
Hegseth was confirmed after a 50-50 vote in the Senate when Vice President JD Vance came into the chamber to break the tie.
Trump spoke to Hegseth moments before Vance cast the tie vote to confirm him.
“We have a great Secretary of Defense and we are very happy,” Trump said as he boarded an Air Force flight after reviewing the fire in California.
The president said he didn’t care that McConnell, the former Republican Senate leader, voted against Hegseth’s confirmation because the “important thing is winning.”
This is the second time a vice president has had to break a tie on a Cabinet nominee. Former Vice President Mike Pence ditched the bonding lesson to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary in Trump’s first term.
The Senate historian said at the time that Pence’s vote was the first by a vice president to break a 50-50 tie against a Cabinet nomination.
Allegations, concerns about past behavior
Hegseth’s confirmation came amid questions about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon amid allegations of heavy drinking and aggressive behavior toward women.
Rarely does a Cabinet nominee have such broad concerns about his experience and behavior as Hegseth, particularly for such a high-profile role leading the U.S. military.
But the Republican-led Senate was determined to confirm him to round out Trump’s top national security Cabinet officials.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune opened the session Friday saying Hegseth, as a National Guard veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, will bring a warrior’s perspective to the job.
“Gone will be the days of woke distractions,” Thune said, referring to the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives being rolled out across the U.S. federal government. “The Pentagon’s focus will be on warfighting.”
The Senate’s ability to confirm Hegseth despite a serious series of allegations against him at the White House.
