Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Monday in favor of Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee to serve as defense secretary.
The 14 to 13 vote was strictly along party lines.
Senators on the Armed Services panel also voted to waive the seven-day rule that usually requires at least a week to elapse between a nominee’s confirmation hearing and a vote to leave the committee.
Senate Republicans then held a separate vote to advance Hegseth’s nomination.
Hegseth is one of the most prominent candidates of Trump and his confirmation hearing last week presented some fireworks as the Democrats attacked.
Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.), a Democrat on the committee, called Monday’s vote “disappointing.”
“It’s extremely disappointing, for a couple of reasons. First, we think there’s additional information that’s likely to come out in the next few days that could be very concerning. I think people have a right to know what that is,” he said.
“And, two, I think all of my colleagues (Democrats) requested meetings with Mr. Hegseth. My schedule was certainly wide open. We said, ‘Give us some time. We’re willing to meet, always make it work for you. And we never heard back,” he said.
Hegseth met with Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking member of the Armed Services panel, but not with any other Democrats on the committee.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), another member of the panel, argued that Republicans should not have waived the usual seven-day rule because Hegseth met with only one Democrat on the committee.
“He didn’t do the courtesy of meeting with the members of the minority, but the majority voted to resign anyway,” he said.
“This ain’t over until we hit the ground,” he said. “I’m energized.”
The strong opposition to Hegseth expressed by Democrats on the Armed Services panel indicates that they will use many of the procedural tools at their disposal to block his confirmation in the Senate.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), another Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, criticized Hegseth on Monday for his wife’s holdings in two major Defense Department contractors.
“Given your stockpile ownership of various defense contractors and your unwillingness at your confirmation hearing to commit to post-employment restrictions, I am concerned that you will enter this role with serious conflicts of interest,” Warren wrote in a letter to Hegseth.
Republicans appear confident Hegseth will garner enough Republican votes to win confirmation later this month.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (RSD) told NBC’s “Today” in an interview that all of Trump’s cabinet nominees “have a way to go” to confirmation.
Updated at 6:06 p.m
