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Congress

Senate Narrowly Confirms Hegseth As New Secretary of Defense

By Matthew Beinart

Saturday, January 25th, 2025

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Senate Narrowly Confirms Hegseth As New Secretary of Defense

Pete Hegseth, nominee to be secretary of defense, and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Photo: Wicker's office.

The Senate on Friday evening narrowly confirmed Pete Hegseth as the new secretary of defense. Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Pentagon was approved largely along party lines while three Republicans, Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), joined all Democrats in voting against confirmation having cited concerns with the sexual assault allegations he’s faced and his prior comments against women serving in combat roles, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie breaking vote. Army veteran…

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