WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate confirmed veteran and former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth as the next secretary of defense late Friday, by the slimmest of margins.
After three Republican senators—Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky—broke away from the rest of the GOP to vote against Hegseth, Vice President J.D. Vance cast the decisive vote to end a 50-50 deadlock.
All of the senators, both Democratic and independent, were against Hegseth.
The vice president’s vote was required to break a stalemate for a Cabinet nominee only twice in history, and the first time was during President Donald Trump’s first term. Mike Pence, who was vice president at the time, voted in favor of Betsy DeVos as secretary of education in 2017.
Hegseth, 44, has been at the center of a number of accusations involving financial mismanagement, sexual misconduct, and alcohol misuse. Additionally, he has come under fire for remarks he made in the past regarding women in combat situations.
Hegseth shared a copy of a letter he wrote to Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina on X on Friday night, answering his specific inquiries over the accusations. Tillis, who had not previously stated his voting stance, told X that he had done his research and would support Hegseth.
Following a narrow procedural vote on Thursday in which Collins, Murkowski, and Democrats and independents opposed moving forward with Hegseth’s candidacy, Hegseth was confirmed.
Hegseth will now be part of Trump’s Cabinet confirmation pool, which already includes CIA Director John Ratcliffe and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
