Hegseth is second prez nominee to seek help from VP to break Senate tie. Know who was the first one

After two months of struggle, the US Senate finally confirmed the nomination of former Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth on Friday. The US President Donald Trump’s pick was struggling to get the senate confirmation because he was facing a litany of allegations that included sexual misconduct, financial mismanagement and excessive drinking.

The Senate was left in limbo after Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine) and Mitch McConnell (Kentucky) voted against the confirmation. This forced US Vice President JD Vance to step in and break the 50-50 tie. While it was already known that Murkowski and Collins would vote against Hegseth, McConnell’s “no” came as a surprise, The Hill reported.

This was the second time in American history that the US Vice President had to step in to break a tie on a presidential nominee. Nearly eight years ago, another Trump cabinet nominee faced a similar fate.

Who was the nominee?

Trump’s pick who faced similar scrutiny was Betsy DeVos. She was a wealthy Republican donor who had little to no experience in the public education sector. However, soon after winning the 2016, presidential race, Trump picked DeVos as the Secretary of the Department of Education.

While DeVos’s nomination was sparking controversies, on Feb. 7, 2017, two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, turned against Trump and did not favour the millionaire’s nomination. Interestingly, Collins and Murkowski were the same two senators who voted against Hegseth this time around.

Without the third Republican to join their ranks, DeVos was ultimately confirmed on a 51-to-50 vote. This time, it was former Vice President Mike Pence who was summoned to the Capitol to break the tie.

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Two different situations

However, there are some differences between DeVos and Hegseth.  While the former was only called out for her lack of experience, the latter was also accused of sexual abuse and excessive drinking. Even on the final day of voting, Democrats argued that the allegations made the former news anchor unqualified and unfit to oversee the country’s 1.3 million active-duty troops and the Pentagon’s nearly $850 billion budget.

Hegseth was a former infantry officer in the Army National Guard who eventually received two Bronze Stars. Following his brief stint in the American military, he became a host at Fox News. With the Friday confirmation, Hegseth became the second-youngest secretary of Defense in history.

Before the voting, Collins and Murkowski pledged to vote “no,” raising questions about Hegseth’s experience, qualifications and judgment. Collins emphasised that she worries Hegseth “does not have the management experience and background” needed to tackle the Defense Department’s challenges while Murkowski raised concerns about his “judgment,” citing the “multiple” infidelities he admitted to.

This included a sexual encounter with a woman who later accused him of assault. Hegseth admitted that he eventually paid the accuser $50,000 as part of a legal settlement. However, he vehemently denied the assault allegation and claimed that he was the victim of a “smear” campaign.

During the Senate committee hearing, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) described Hegseth on the Senate floor as “one of the most erratic, unqualified and unfit Cabinet nominees we have ever seen in modern times.”

He urged Republicans to think carefully about Hegseth’s thin résumé and history of questionable conduct. “When you’re the one responsible for leading our armed forces, erratic behaviour isn’t just a character flaw — it could mean the difference between entering or avoiding military conflict, between life and death for our troops,” he warned. Hence, one will have to wait and watch how Hegseth will perform in the new role.

With inputs from agencies.