On Monday, January 20th, the day of the inauguration of United States President Trump (Donald Trump), the Senate Armed Services Committee voted on the nomination of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. Next, the full Senate will need to vote on Hegseth’s nomination, and if approved, he will serve as the Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration.
Led by the Republicans, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted in a closed session on Monday with a result of 14 in favor and 13 against, approving Hegseth’s nomination for Defense Secretary. This concluded intense debates within the committee on whether he was suitable for this important position, with the voting strictly along party lines.
Committee members also voted to waive the seven-day rule, which usually requires at least a week between a nominee’s confirmation hearing and the committee vote.
Following this, Republican Senators held a separate vote to advance the confirmation process for Hegseth’s nomination.
According to CNN, Republican sources indicated plans to push for a full Senate vote on Hegseth’s confirmation to be held this week. Democrats, on the other hand, stated they would do their best to delay the vote.
Hegseth needs to ensure that opposition votes from within the Republican senators do not exceed three in order to smoothly pass the confirmation for Defense Secretary. As of now, while some senators have yet to declare their stance, no Republican senators have publicly opposed his nomination.
On November 12th of last year, Trump nominated Hegseth as the U.S. Secretary of Defense. Hegseth is a co-host of “Fox & Friends Weekend” and has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, earning a Combat Infantry Badge.
After his nomination, Hegseth faced controversy, being accused of sexual misconduct, alcohol abuse, and poor financial management, which he vehemently denied.
On January 14th, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on his nomination. Committee Chairman Senator Roger Wicker expressed doubt about the validity of the accusations Hegseth faced during the hearing, stating that they were all “anonymous accusations.”
“Regarding Mr. Hegseth’s personal life and some policy statements, there has been a lot of discussion,” Wicker said. “Regarding his personal behavior, Mr. Hegseth acknowledges his shortcomings, as we all occasionally have. It is worth noting that the vast majority of accusations against Mr. Hegseth come from anonymous sources. These anonymous accusations contrast with many public letters of support and praise for him.”