The Senate narrowly confirmed embattled Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense, a major victory for President Donald Trump and his new administration.
Vice President JD Vance broke the 51-50 tie after former GOP Leader Mitch McConnell and GOP Senators. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats in opposing Hegseth’s nomination.
It was only the second time in history that a vice president broke a tie for a Cabinet nominee, the other being then-Vice President Mike Pence’s 2017 confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary.
According to a source familiar with the situation, the vice president will swear Hegseth in as secretary of defense on Saturday morning at the White House.
Hegseth’s confirmation hearings have been marred by allegations of sexual assault, alcohol abuse, and financial mismanagement of veterans’ charities, all of which he has denied.
The Friday vote was a significant victory for the Trump administration, which had gone to great lengths to support Hegseth as its nominee, despite his lack of experience and allegations against him.
Trump informed reporters Friday night that he had called Hegseth from Marine One. Hegseth, who was in the Senate on Friday night to watch his confirmation vote, would “be a great secretary,” according to the president.
“We just heard that we have a great secretary of defense – we’re very happy about that, and we appreciate everyone’s vote,” Trump told reporters in an early celebration as Vance made his way to the Senate.
As secretary, Hegseth has promised to overhaul the department, particularly “woke” policies, and streamline its bureaucracy. During his confirmation hearing, Hegseth told lawmakers that he wants to restore a “warrior culture” in the Pentagon.
McConnell echoed the phrase in a sharp statement shortly after voting against Hegseth’s nomination, claiming that “the restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not come from trading one set of culture warriors for another.”
“By all accounts, brave young men and women join the military believing that it is a meritocracy. This precious trust will only last as long as lawful civilian leadership maintains what must be a barrier between service members and politics,” McConnell stated.
“The Biden administration failed in this fundamental task. However, the restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not result from exchanging one set of cultural warriors for another.”
While Senate Republican leaders were unsure how McConnell and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina would vote as of Friday afternoon, Tillis eventually voted in favor of the nomination.
With such a slim majority, Republicans could only afford to lose three GOP votes and still confirm the defense secretary with a tie-breaking vote from Vance. According to senior adviser Eric Ueland, Hegseth was in contact with senators as his confirmation deadline approached.
“There have been numerous conversations between the secretary-designate and many senators,” Ueland told CNN ahead of the vote.
Tillis stated that he spoke with Hegseth for “nearly 2 hours” on Friday before the senator announced that he would support his nomination.
The nominee had received criticism in the days leading up to his confirmation.
Murkowski and Collins issued statements criticizing Hegseth on Thursday, after announcing their opposition to his nomination. Murkowski later told CNN that Hegseth “lacks the strength of character” required to lead the Department of Defense.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer slammed Hegseth on Friday, calling him “one of the most erratic, unqualified, and unfit Cabinet nominees we have ever seen in modern times” and warning that his confirmation would jeopardize the “credibility of the Republican majority.”
“He lacks the character, experience, and judgment required for the position,” the New York Democrat added.
