Some GOP senators said on Dec. 11 that they’re still not sure whether they’re going to vote for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee.
“I haven’t decided yet,” Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) told CNN.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters she remains undecided, pending an FBI background check and a hearing in which Hegseth will sit and answer questions from senators on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), a day prior, also did not say she will vote to confirm Hegseth.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is among the other Republicans who have not yet committed to voting for Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host.
Republicans will hold a 53–47 majority in the upper chamber once the new Congress starts in January 2025. Presidential nominees require a simple majority to receive confirmation. The vice president, as president of the Senate, can cast tie-breaking votes.
That means Hegseth must receive votes from at least 50 GOP senators, provided all Democrats are present and vote against him.
Senators have been holding one-on-one meetings with Hegseth, questioning him on his plans for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and his history, including an accusation of sexual assault that Hegseth has denied.
“I appreciated his candor as we discussed our readiness challenges, the China threat, auditing the Pentagon, his vision for DOD, and other important national security issues,” Young said in a post on the social media platform X after meeting with Hegseth on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Hegseth said on X that he was grateful to Young for his service and the meeting. “His candor, insight, and passion for defense are a demonstration of why this process is so special,” he said.
Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) speaks at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 4, 2022. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Collins told reporters that her meeting with the nominee covered a wide range of topics, including the role of women in the military and Ukraine.
“We focused on what needs to be done to make sure we, this Pentagon, is focused on warfighting and lethality,” Hegseth told reporters after the meeting.
Hegseth said he respects the process and hopes he'll ultimately receive a yes vote from Collins on the Senate floor.
Other Republican senators who met with Hegseth this week said they are definitely voting for him.
“He will make a great Secretary of Defense, and he has my support 100 percent,” Sen.-elect Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) said on X.
No Democrats have appeared to pledge support for Hegseth. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) did say that he will vote for another of Trump’s nominees, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Zachary Stieber
Senior Reporter
Zachary Stieber is a senior reporter for The Epoch Times based in Maryland. He covers U.S. and world news. Contact Zachary at [email protected]
