The Senate is preparing to confirm Pete Hegseth as Defense Secretary in a late-night vote

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate was struggling to gain muscle Pete Hegseth’s nomination as defense secretary against confirmation ahead of a vote late Friday in which he prioritized his pledge to create a “warrior culture” in the Pentagon over allegations of excessive alcohol consumption and aggressive behaviour towards women.

With votes expected tonight, the Republican-led Senate was determined to install Hegseth, a former Fox News host and combat veteran, and round out the president. Donald Trump’s top national security officials. But last-minute questions among senators raised new uncertainty about confirmation.

Leader of the Senate majority John Thune opened Friday’s session, saying Hegseth, as an Army National Guard veteran who served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, “will bring a warrior’s perspective” to the top military job.

“Gone will be the days of wakeful distractions,” Thune said, referring to the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives being cut across the federal government. “The Pentagon’s focus will be on warfighting.”

The Senate’s ability to confirm Hegseth despite a serious series of allegations against him will provide a measure of Trump’s political power and ability to get what he wants from the GOP-led Congressand about the power of the culture wars to fuel his agenda in the White House.

Senators will face Trump’s second next week outside of cabinet selection including notably Kash Patel, a Trump ally who has published an enemies list, as FBI director; Tulsi Gabbard as Director of the Office of National Intelligence; and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the anti-vaccine attorney at Health and Human Services.

“He’s a good man,” Trump said of Hegseth as he left the White House to visit disaster-stricken North Carolina and Los Angeles. “I hope he makes it.”

But Trump directed criticism at Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who have so far been the only Republicans to announce they would vote against Hegseth. “I was surprised that Collins and Murkowski would do it,” he said

And Trump raised new questions about Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., saying, “And of course Mitch is always a no, I think. Is Mitch a no?”

McConnell has not said how he would vote, but in an earlier speech he said he would confirm nominees to senior national security roles “whose record and experience will make them immediate assets, not liabilities.”

Another Republican, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, has also not revealed his decision. Tillis had questions about the nominee and was given information and answers, a person familiar with the situation said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss it.

It takes a simple majority to confirm Hegseth, and Republicans, with a 53-47 majority in the Senate, can only afford to lose one more veto. Vice President JD Vance could be called in to break the tie.

The Democrats, as a minority party, helped to confirm the foreign minister Marco Rubio and CIA director John Ratcliffe in top artist votes for Trump’s national security team within days of his return to the White House.

But Democrats who vehemently oppose Hegseth have little power to stop him and have resorted instead to dragging out the process.

Late. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said during the debate that there are few Trump nominees as “dangerously and woefully unqualified as Hegseth.”

Hegseth faces allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at a Republican convention in California, though he has denied the allegations and said the meeting was consensual. He later paid $50,000 to the woman.

Later Hegseth’s former sister-in-law said in a statement that he abused his second wife to the point that she feared for her safety. Hegseth has denied the allegation, and in the divorce proceedings neither Hegseth nor the woman claimed to have been subjected to domestic violence.

During a burning confirmation hearing, Hegseth dismissed allegations of wrongdoing one by one and vowed to bring “warrior culture” to the top Pentagon post.

Hegseth has promised not to drink on the job if it is confirmed.

But Republican senators facing an intensive pressure campaign from Trump allies to support Hegseth have stood by his nomination, echoing his claims of a “smear campaign” against him.

A graduate of Princeton and Harvard, Hegseth represents a newer generation of veterans who came of age in the wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001. He went on to a career at Fox News as host of a weekend show and was unknown to many on Capitol Hill, until Trump picked him for the top defense job.

Hegseth’s comments that women should have no role in military combat drew particular concern on Capitol Hill, including from lawmakers who served themselves. He has since tempered those views as he met with senators during the confirmation process.

Murkowski, in a lengthy statement ahead of a test vote on Hegseth, said his behavior “stares in stark contrast” to what is expected of the military.

“I remain concerned about the message affirming Mr. Hegseth sends to women currently serving and those who wish to join,” Murkowski wrote on social media.

Collins said that after an extended discussion with Hegseth, “I’m not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed.”

But one prominent Republican, Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, herself a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor, came under fire for her skepticism about Hegseth and eventually announced she would support him.

“It would certainly be helpful if Republicans stood together to confirm Trump’s cabinet,” fellow GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah wrote online ahead of Friday’s vote.

Hegseth would lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and an $850 billion budget.

Hours before the Senate was expected to vote on Hegseth’s nomination, Democrat after Democrat took to the floor to list the various reasons why they believed he was singularly unqualified to lead the sprawling Defense Department.

“What’s clear to me at the end of this process is that Mr. Hegseth doesn’t check any of the boxes,” said Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a former Navy fighter pilot who flew missions during Operation Desert Storm.

In exercising its advisory and consent role over Trump’s nominees, the Senate is also trying to fend off his proposal that GOP leaders simply scrap the confirmation process altogether and allow him to appoint his Cabinet picks when Congress is in recess.

Trump raised the idea of ​​so-called “leisure deals” during a private meeting at the White House with Thune and House of Representatives Mike Johnson. But it’s an extreme and potentially difficult move that some GOP senators want, but several other senators on both sides of the aisle are trying to avoid.

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Associated Press writer Chris Megerian contributed to this report.

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