By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Pete Hegseth narrowly secured sufficient votes on Friday to change into the following U.S. protection secretary, a serious victory for President Donald Trump after fierce opposition from Democrats and even some Republicans to his controversial nominee.
Hegseth was confirmed after a 50-50 vote within the Senate, when Vice President JD Vance got here to the chamber to interrupt the tie in his position as president of the Senate, after three Republicans joined each Democrat and unbiased in voting no.
Hegseth, a former Fox Information character and embellished veteran, is promising to carry main modifications to the Pentagon. However his management shall be beneath intense scrutiny after a bruising affirmation evaluate that raised critical questions on his {qualifications}, temperament and views about ladies in fight.
“We have not had a secretary of defense like Hegseth before,” mentioned Jeremi Suri, a College of Texas, Austin, historical past professor and presidential scholar.
Hegseth is probably the most divisive candidate to clinch the U.S. navy’s high job, a place that has traditionally gone to candidates with deep expertise operating massive organizations and who get pleasure from broad bipartisan assist.
It was solely the second time in historical past a cupboard nominee wanted a tie-break to be confirmed. The primary was additionally a Trump nominee, Betsy DeVos, who grew to become secretary of schooling in 2017.
The three Republican senators who voted towards Hegseth had been Senators Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell, who was the celebration’s chief within the chamber till this month.
McConnell mentioned Hegseth had did not reveal that he had the power to successfully handle a corporation as massive and complicated because the navy. “Mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough to fill these shoes,” McConnell mentioned in a press release.
The highest Democrat on the Armed Providers Committee, Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, mentioned in a press release he would watch Hegseth “like a hawk” and “demand accountability.”
Hegseth will lead 1.3 million active-duty service members and the practically 1 million civilians who work for the U.S. navy, which has an almost $1 trillion annual finances. Hegseth informed lawmakers that, up till this level, the biggest group he had managed was 100 folks and the biggest finances was $16 million.
His nomination was rocked by a collection of accusations, together with one this week by his former sister-in-law, who mentioned he abused his second spouse to the extent that she hid in a closet and had a code phrase to make use of with buddies if she needed to be rescued. Hegseth strongly denied the accusations and his spouse had beforehand denied any bodily abuse.
TRUMP STAUNCHLY BEHIND PICK
Trump, whose nominees for FBI and intelligence chief are additionally beneath Senate scrutiny, stood staunchly by his decide and he put intensive stress on his fellow Republicans to again the 44-year-old tv character.
Suri mentioned the vote demonstrated the extent of Trump’s energy at the beginning of his second time period in workplace.
“It means certainly that Trump has enormous leverage over the Republican Party and over members of the Senate,” he mentioned.
Forward of Friday’s vote, Trump had admonished two fellow Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, who voted towards Hegseth in a procedural check vote on Thursday.
“I was very surprised that Collins and Murkowski would do that,” Trump informed reporters on Friday morning.
However most Senate Republicans fell into line to defend the nominee who they mentioned would restore a “warrior” mentality to the U.S. navy.
Hegseth has criticized variety, fairness and inclusion initiatives within the navy, and, in his newest e book, requested whether or not the highest U.S. common has the job as a result of he’s Black. Reuters has beforehand reported concerning the risk mass firing amongst high brass, one thing Hegseth repeatedly refused to rule out throughout his affirmation course of.
OPPOSED WOMEN IN COMBAT
For years, Hegseth additionally strongly opposed ladies in fight roles however walked again that stance as he courted assist for his affirmation, together with from navy veterans like Republican Senator Joni Ernst.
Ernst was one of many 14 Armed Providers Committee Republicans who voted for Hegseth when the committee backed him by 14 to 13, with each Democrat opposing his nomination.
A lot of episodes have sparked concern about Hegseth, together with a 2017 sexual assault allegation that didn’t lead to expenses and which Hegseth denies. Sexual assault is a persistent downside within the U.S. navy.
Hegseth has additionally been accused of extreme ingesting and monetary mismanagement at veterans’ organizations. He has vowed to abstain from alcohol if confirmed and mentioned he made monetary errors however denied wrongdoing.
In a 2021 incident first reported by Reuters, Hegseth was branded an “insider threat” by a fellow member of the Military Nationwide Guard over his tattoos. Hegseth famous the incident throughout the listening to, which led him to be pulled from Guard responsibility in Washington throughout Biden’s inauguration.
He takes over because the Trump administration has mentioned that border safety and immigration will be a magnet for the U.S. navy.
On Friday, U.S. navy C-17 plane started flying detained migrants in another country following orders from Trump, within the first such involvement by the U.S. navy in deportations in current reminiscence.
The Pentagon has introduced plans to ship 1,500 active-duty troops to the border in response to Trump’s orders, a quantity that appears poised to shortly develop. U.S. officers on Friday informed Reuters that the navy was getting ready to ship a second wave of troops, possible from the 82nd Airborne.
Little is understood about the place Hegseth stands on key overseas coverage points like arming Ukraine, the right way to put together the U.S. navy for a possible battle with China and whether or not he would search to cut back the U.S. navy footprint in locations like Syria and Iraq.
The practically party-line affirmation vote was a departure for a place that Republican and Democratic administrations have lengthy sought to make sure was bipartisan.
Former President Joe Biden’s protection secretary, Lloyd Austin, was confirmed by a 93-2 vote in 2021, and Jim Mattis, Trump’s first protection secretary in his final administration, was confirmed 98-1 in 2017.
Hegseth’s Republican supporters within the Senate have argued that he has acknowledged private failings, together with infidelities and previous ingesting, and is the suitable particular person to carry the Pentagon’s core mission of profitable wars again into focus.
The final nominee for protection secretary who was defeated was former Senator John Tower in 1989. Tower was investigated over claims of drunkenness and inappropriate conduct with ladies.
