Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has been confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Defense after Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in a contentious Senate confirmation.
During the Senate vote on January 24, three Republican senators—Susan Collins, Mitch McConnell, and Lisa Murkowski—opposed Hegseth’s nomination, resulting in a 50-50 deadlock. Vice President Vance, in his role as Senate president, cast the deciding vote to confirm Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense.
This marks only the second time in U.S. history that a vice president has broken a Senate tie on a presidential Cabinet nominee. The first instance was during Donald Trump’s first term when Vice President Mike Pence cast the deciding vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education.
“We’re thrilled to have a fantastic Secretary of Defense,” President Trump said after the vote, dismissing concerns about Republican dissent. “What matters is winning.”
Divided Support
Hegseth’s confirmation faced strong opposition from Democrats, with all 47 Senate Democrats voting against him. Senator Jack Reed, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, expressed doubts about Hegseth’s qualifications and urged colleagues to vote thoughtfully.
Republican Senate leader John Thune, however, defended Hegseth’s appointment, emphasizing his military background as a former member of the National Guard deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. “The days of distraction are over. The Pentagon will now focus on fighting,” Thune said, criticizing previous diversity and inclusion initiatives within the Department of Defense.
The Trump administration has been scaling back diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across federal agencies, with plans to eliminate DEI staff in the Pentagon.
Pete Hegseth’s Background
Born on June 6, 1980, in Forest Lake, Minnesota, Pete Hegseth graduated from Princeton University in 2003 and later earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 2013.
Hegseth began his career as a capital markets analyst at Bear Stearns while serving as an infantry officer in the Minnesota National Guard. In 2004, he was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a platoon leader under the operational command of the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division.
After returning to the U.S., Hegseth became a Fox News host in 2014 while maintaining his reserve status in the National Guard, eventually reaching the rank of major. In December 2018, he co-hosted Fox News’ New Year’s Eve broadcast, which featured an interview with then-President Trump.
Hegseth was an early supporter of Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, a time when many prominent Republicans, including Senator Marco Rubio, were critical of Trump.
President Trump had previously considered Hegseth for the role of Veterans Affairs Secretary in his first administration but ultimately appointed David Shulkin to the position in 2017.
(Source: AFP, AP)
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