Pete Hegseth was officially confirmed by the Senate to head the Department of Defense late Friday night after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in his favor. Hegseth is the third member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet to be confirmed.
Because Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, Hegseth could only afford to lose three GOP votes with Vance acting as a tie-breaker.
‘I just heard that we won. Winning is what matters, right?’
“Thank you for your confidence Mr. President,” Hegseth said following his confirmation. “Thank you for the tie-breaker Mr. Vice President. Thank you Senators for 50 votes. This is for the troops. For the warriors. For our country. America First. Every day. We will never back down.”
Leading up to the confirmation vote, Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine publicly committed to voting against the then-nominee, citing concerns about Hegseth’s experience, comments about women in combat roles, as well as allegations of sexual misconduct and alcohol abuse. Notably, Hegseth has vehemently denied all allegations, many of which have been made anonymously.
Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who hadn’t publicly commented on the nomination, also voted against Hegseth, publishing a scathing letter of disapproval in the aftermath.
“Mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough to fill these shoes,” McConnell said. “And ‘dust on boots’ fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat experience and time in the trenches have failed at the job.”
“Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test,” McConnell added. “But as he assumes office, the consequences of failure are as high as they have ever been.”
Despite McConnell’s efforts to tank the nominee, Trump seemed unfazed.
When asked by reporters if he was disappointed that McConnell voted against Hegseth, Trump said, “I didn’t even know that.”
“I just heard that we won,” Trump said. “Winning is what matters, right?”
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