US Senate confirms Pete Hegseth as Trump's defence secretary, Vance breaks tie in a divided chamber

US Vice President JD Vance on Friday broke the Senate tie to confirm former Fox News presenter Pete Hegseth as the country’s next Secretary of Defence. With this, Hegseth’s two-month-long fight to get the confirmation comes to an end. US President Donald Trump’s pick was facing challenge in the Senate 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 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.

It is pertinent to note that this is the second time in American history that the US Vice President had to step in to break a tie on a presidential nominee. Trump’s former running mate and ex-Vice President Mike Pence broke a tie to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education in 2017.

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Hegseth: The problematic man

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.

The former news anchor is expected to aggressively pursue Trump’s agenda while leading the Pentagon. This also includes the eradication of DEI programs and an office established by former President Biden to protect civilians in war zones. Questions were raised over Hegseth’s competency after he stated his opposition to women serving in combat roles.

However, during the confirmation procedure, he assured senators that he would support preserving women’s access to combat roles if they meet the standards for physically demanding jobs. Hegseth’s confirmation came amid rumours that his nomination might be torpedoed at the last minute by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and McConnell, even though they both voted to advance him on Thursday.

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Before the voting, Tillis signalled to his colleagues that he could change his opposition to Hegseth if he found compelling evidence corroborating the allegations of drunkenness on the job, fiscal mismanagement or other misconduct. However, the Republican senator eventually voted for the nominee while McConnell opposed him.

The mounting accusations

Meanwhile, 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.

Meanwhile, Democrats united to vote against Hegseth. Senate 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.

With inputs from agencies.