Senate Confirms Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary After Vance Casts Tie-Breaking Vote

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Pete Hegseth as President Donald Trump’s new secretary of defense.

Hegseth won the vote in a late-night session on Friday that came down to a tie-breaking decision from Vice President JD Vance.

The vote came down to a tie-breaker after Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) voted no.

Trump’s nominee initially deadlocked in a 50-50 vote.

The vote capped off a contentious confirmation process in which Hegseth faced questions about his views on women serving in combat.

He also faced liberal corporate media smears, including allegations of alcoholism, sexual assault, and financial mismanagement at two veteran nonprofit organizations.

It was only the second such tie-breaking vote in the history of cabinet secretary confirmations.

The last tie-breaker was during Betsy DeVos’s confirmation for secretary of education at the start of the first Trump administration.

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“Congratulations to Pete Hegseth,” Trump wrote on Truth Social after Hegseth’s confirmation.

“He will make a great Secretary of Defense!”

The Senate’s two anti-Trump Republican women: Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) voted no.

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They were also joined by McConnell, the former GOP leader.

Sen. Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) support was not a given, and he did not reveal his stance until the vote was already underway.

He ultimately said he would back Trump’s pick, giving him enough support to be confirmed with Vance’s tie-breaking vote.

In her reasoning, Murkowski cited alleged infidelity, “allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking” and Hegseth’s previous comments on women serving in the military.

These allegations supposedly show “a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who would lead our armed forces,” she claimed.

Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), the nonprofit advocacy group at the center of many of the accusations brought up during Hegseth’s confirmation hearing, praised his confirmation in a statement.

“The confirmation of Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense presents a real opportunity to prioritize the security and prosperity of our citizens, champion prudence and effectiveness in our defense strategy, and focus our Department of Defense on America’s most vital interests,” the statement read.

In December, The New Yorker reported that Hegseth was forced out of CVA, the group he once ran, over allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.

All Democrats opposed the confirmation, meanwhile.

The opposition from the Left was a far cry from an earlier vote this week when Secretary of State Marco Rubio was confirmed unanimously, 99-0.

Hegseth will now lead the government’s largest agency, having long promised to root out “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) measures across each branch.

The Pentagon under Trump, however, has not waited for a confirmed secretary.

This week, the commander of the Air Force‘s 613th Air Operations Center in Hawaii, who had advocated for more women in roles like her own, was removed from her position.

Gen. Kevin Schneider, commander of Pacific Air Forces, relieved Col. Julie Sposito-Salceies from the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

Sposito-Salceies was replaced “due to loss of confidence in her ability to command the organization.”

Shortly after Trump took office, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan, the first uniformed woman to lead any military branch, was removed from her position.

Trump this week also nominated former Space Force Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier and former Marine Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller to top Defense Department posts.

Both men were deeply critical of former President Joe Biden’s policies at the Pentagon.

Lohmeier, who had been nominated to serve as undersecretary of the Air Force, was fired as commander of the 11th Space Warning Squadron at Buckley Air Force Base.

It came after he wrote a book and appeared on podcasts claiming Marxism had infiltrated the armed forces and criticizing diversity policies.

Scheller made headlines for posting videos in uniform criticizing senior military leaders over the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Scheller, the new senior advisor to the Department of Defense Under Secretary for personnel and readiness, was sent to the brig and court-martialed over the clips.

Hegseth faced stern opposition from top Democrats during his confirmation.

Earlier Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urged Republicans to join him in opposing the former Fox News host and Army national guardsman.

“Hegseth is so utterly unqualified, he ranks up there [as] … one of the very worst nominees that could be put forward,” Schumer said.

The 44-year-old Army National Guard veteran, who did tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is relatively young and inexperienced, compared to defense secretaries in the past, retiring as a major.

However, Republicans say they don’t want someone who made it to the top brass who’s become entrenched in the Pentagon establishment.

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