The U.S. Senate on Thursday voted by a slim margin to advance the nomination of Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News host and U.S. Armed Forces veteran, to be Secretary of Defense in President Donald Trump's administration, writes UNN citing Voice of America.
Details
The result of the vote on the procedural measure to end debate was 51 votes in favor to 49 against, with all but two Republicans voting in favor of Hegseth's nomination.
Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins joined Democrats and independent senators in voting against Hegseth.
The final confirmation vote on Hegseth's nomination is scheduled for Friday evening.
Supplement
In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly urged Republicans to back the 44-year-old decorated veteran, and most have stood up for a nominee they said would bring “fighting spirit” back to the U.S. Armed Forces. In his posts on Truth Social, Trump wrote that Hegseth “would make a GREAT Secretary of Defense,” reiterating that he “fully and unequivocally supports” his nominee.
If Hegseth is confirmed to head the Pentagon, he would lead an agency that reports to 1.3 million career military personnel and nearly 1 million civilian employees of the Defense Department, which has an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion.
If Hegseth is confirmed, all eyes will be on whether he will make changes in the leadership of the Armed Forces, how he will handle personnel policy issues such as women in combat, and his stance on key foreign policy issues, including the war in Ukraine, competition with China and tensions in the Middle East.