The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the nation’s Secretary of Defense in a vote held late Friday night.
With three Republicans opposing Hegseth’s nomination — including Sens. Susan Collins (R), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — Vice President J.D. Vance stepped in to break the tie.
This is only the second time in this nation’s history that the vice president has had to cast a tie breaking vote for a cabinet nominee, the first being when then Vice President Mike Pence voted to confirm Betsy DeVos as the Secretary of Education in 2017.
#BREAKING: U.S. Senate CONFIRMS Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense, 51-50. @VP Vance breaks tie, second tie-breaking vote on Cabinet nominee in history. pic.twitter.com/6TiVfYQxR6
— CSPAN (@cspan) January 25, 2025
Hegseth and his family were present in the Capitol Friday night as the Senate voted on his confirmation.
Ahead of Friday’s vote, it was unclear if Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) would vote to support Hegseth, but he shared a statement with Fox News Senior Congressional Correspondent Chad Pergram strongly backing the nominee just minutes before casting his vote.
“Pete has a unique perspective as a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and is unquestionably passionate about modernizing our military and supporting the brave patriots like himself who serve our nation,” Sen. Tillis said, in part. “I will support his confirmation and look forward to working with him to rebuild our military and advance President Trump’s peace through strength agenda.”
Maine’s Sen. Collins had clearly indicated in advance of Friday’s vote that she would not be supporting President Donald Trump’s (R) Defense Secretary nominee.
In a lengthy statement posted to X Wednesday afternoon, Collins said that she would be voting against Hegseth because she was “concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job.”
“I am concerned that Mr. Hegseth does not have the management experience and background that he will need in order to tackle these difficulties,” Collins said, in part. “His limited managerial experience involved running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results.”
[RELATED: Susan Collins Says She is a ‘No’ on Trump’s Pick for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth]
She also cited Hegseth’s prior remarks about women serving in combat roles as a reason for her decision to vote against him.
Hegseth has since clarified those remarks, explaining that he only opposes the lowering of standard for women in combat to levels that are different from those for men.
Collins also referenced another topic that came up during Hegseth’s hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, pointing toward his stance on the rules of engagement in combat as another reason why she decided to oppose his nomination.
A former Fox News anchor and Army combat veteran, Hegseth has earned an undergraduate degree from Princeton, as well as a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University.
Hegseth was commissioned as an infantry officer in the Army National Guard after graduating from Princeton in 2003. He deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and his military awards include two Bronze Stars and two Army Commendation Medals.
His nomination generated a flurry of negative media attention in light of reports containing allegations of alcohol abuse, sexual assault, and financial mismanagement of the veterans’ advocacy organizations that he led.
During his confirmation hearing, Hegseth said that he is not a “perfect person,” but that he has “been saved by the grace of God, by Jesus and Jenny,” his wife.
“I’m not a perfect person, but redemption is real, and God forged me in ways I know I’m prepared for,” said Hegseth. “I’m honored by the people standing and sitting behind me, and I look forward to leading this Pentagon on behalf of the warfighters,”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said that Hegseth will bring “will bring a warrior’s perspective” to the nation’s military as Defense Secretary.
“Gone will be the days of woke distractions,” Sen. Thune said. “The Pentagon’s focus will be on war fighting.”
“He will bring critical reforms to the Pentagon and serve our nation with distinction in these historic times,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said Friday night on X.
“Congratulations to Pete Hegseth. He will make a great Secretary of Defense!” President Trump said on Truth Social following Hegseth’s confirmation.
