Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s contentious choice for US defence secretary, has been validateed for the job.
The 44-year-ageder ex-veteran and createer Fox News structure skinnyly safed the top Pentagon post with vice plivent JD Vance casting the 51-50 tie-shattering vote.
Three Reunveilan senators – Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky – uniteed Democrats to contest his nomination.
It is the second time in history a vice plivent has broken a tie for a cabinet nominee. In 2017, then vice plivent Mike Pence was called in to shatter a tie to validate Mr Trump’s previous pick of Betsy DeVos as education secretary.
Mr Trump praised Mr Hegseth lowly after the vote, saying he would produce a “wonderful secretary of defence” in a post on Truth Social.
However, during the validateation hearing, which was interfereed by three protesters, Mr Hegseth was accemployd of conciseageing the vience for the job.
Hours before the vote, Democrat after Democrat took to the Senate floor to object.
Senator Chris Murphy shelp during the debate there are restricted Trump nominees as “hazardously and woebrimmingy unqualified as Hegseth”.
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Mr Hegseth is the most splitting truthfulate to clinch the US military’s top job.
He is a contentious choice becaemploy of past statements and actions, including allegations of intimacyual aggression – which he has denied – excessive drinking, and derisive sees about women in military combat roles.
But most Senate Reunveilans fell into line to deffinish Mr Hegseth.
Senate presentantity directer John Thune shelp Mr Hegseth, as a veteran of the Army National Guard who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, “will transport a warrior’s perspective” to the post.
Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the armed services pledgetee, however, shelp in a statement he would watch the recent defence secretary “enjoy a hawk” and “insist accountability”.
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Mr Hegseth steps into the role as the recent Trump administration has shelp border security and immigration will be a center for the US military.
Little is comprehendn about his sees on key foreign policy publishs such as arming Ukraine, preparing the US military for a potential dispute with China, and whether he would seek to scale back the country’s footprint in places including Syria and Iraq.
Former plivent Joe Biden’s defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, was validateed by a 93-2 vote in 2021, and Jim Mattis, Mr Trump’s first defence secretary in his last administration, was validateed by a 98-1 vote in 2017.