By Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Pete Hegseth narrowly secured enough votes on Friday to become the next U.S. defense secretary, a major 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 in the Senate, when Vice President J.D. Vance came to the chamber to break a tie in his role as Senate president, after three Republicans joined all Democrats and independent to vote no.
Hegseth, a former Fox News personality and decorated veteran, promises to bring major changes to the Pentagon. But her leadership will face intense scrutiny after a bruising confirmation exam that raised serious questions about her qualifications, temperament and views on women in combat.
“We’ve never had a secretary of defense like Hegseth before,” said Jeremi Suri, a history professor and presidential expert at the University of Texas at Austin.
Hegseth is the most controversial candidate to land the U.S. military’s top job, a position that has historically gone to candidates with extensive experience leading large organizations and broad bipartisan support.
It was only the second time in history that a ministerial candidate needed a tie-break to be confirmed. The first was also a Trump nominee, Betsy DeVos, who became Secretary of Education in 2017.
The three Republican senators who voted against Hegseth were Senators Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell, who was the party’s leader in the House until this month.
McConnell said Hegseth failed to demonstrate that he had the ability to effectively manage an organization as large and complex as the military. “Simply wanting to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough to fulfill these roles,” McConnell said in a statement.
The top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, said in a statement that he would watch Hegseth “like a hawk” and “demand accountability.”
Hegseth will lead 1.3 million active-duty military personnel and nearly 1 million civilians who work for the U.S. military, which has an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion. Hegseth told lawmakers that, so far, the largest group he has led was 100 people and the largest budget was $16 million.
His nomination has been rocked by a series of accusations, including one this week from his former sister-in-law, who said he abused his second wife to the point where she hid in a closet and had a code word to use with friends if she needed rescuing. Hegseth strongly denied the accusations and his wife had previously denied any physical violence.
Trump firmly behind choice
Trump, whose nominees for FBI and intelligence chief are also subject to Senate review, has steadfastly stood by his choice and put considerable pressure on his fellow Republicans to support the television personality from 44 years old.
Suri said the vote demonstrated the extent of Trump’s power at the start of his second term.
“It certainly means that Trump has enormous influence over the Republican Party and over members of the Senate,” he said.
Before Friday’s vote, Trump reprimanded two of his Republican colleagues, Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, who voted against Hegseth in a procedural test vote on Thursday.
“I was very surprised that Collins and Murkowski would do that,” Trump told reporters Friday morning.
But most Senate Republicans lined up to defend the nominee they say would restore a “warrior” mentality to the U.S. military.
Hegseth has criticized diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the military and, in his latest book, questioned whether America’s top general got the job because he was black. Reuters has previously raised the possibility of mass layoffs among top brass, something Hegseth repeatedly refused to rule out during his confirmation process.
WOMEN OPPOSED TO FIGHT
For years, Hegseth also strongly opposed women in combat roles, but he backtracked on that stance as he sought support for his confirmation, including from veterans like Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.
Ernst was one of 14 Republicans on the Armed Services Committee who voted for Hegseth when the committee supported him 14-13, with all Democrats opposing his nomination.
A number of episodes have raised concerns about Hegseth, including a 2017 sexual assault allegation that did not result in charges and which Hegseth denies. Sexual assault is a persistent problem in the U.S. military.
Hegseth has also been accused of excessive drinking and financial mismanagement within veterans’ organizations. He vowed to abstain from alcohol if confirmed and said he had made financial mistakes but denied wrongdoing.
In a 2021 incident first reported by Reuters, Hegseth was called an “insider threat” by a fellow member of the Army National Guard because of his tattoos. Hegseth highlighted the incident during the hearing, which led to him being removed from guard duties in Washington during Biden’s inauguration.
He takes over as the Trump administration has said border security and immigration will be a priority for the U.S. military.
On Friday, US military C-17 planes began transporting detained migrants out of the country on Trump’s orders, marking the US military’s first involvement in deportations in recent memory.
The Pentagon has announced plans to send 1,500 active-duty troops to the border in response to Trump’s orders, a number that is expected to increase quickly. U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday that the military was preparing to send a second wave of troops, likely from the 82nd Airborne.
Little is known about Hegseth’s position on key foreign policy issues like arming Ukraine, how to prepare the U.S. military for potential conflict with China and whether he would seek to reduce US military footprint in countries like Syria and Iraq.
The confirmation vote, close to party lines, marked a departure from a position that both Republican and Democratic administrations had long sought to ensure was bipartisan.
Former President Joe Biden’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was confirmed by a vote of 93-2 in 2021, and Jim Mattis, Trump’s first Secretary of Defense in his last administration, was confirmed by a vote of 98 compared to 1 in 2017.
Hegseth’s Republican supporters in the Senate argued that he had acknowledged his personal failings, including his infidelities and his history of drinking, and that he was the ideal person to return the focus to the Pentagon’s core mission, winning wars.
The last candidate for Secretary of Defense who was defeated was former Senator John Tower in 1989. Tower was investigated over allegations of drunkenness and inappropriate behavior with women.