On Friday, January 24, the US Senate voted to confirm Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense in a 50-50 nail-biter. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote, marking only the second time in history that the President of the Senate has had to do so for a cabinet official. Hegseth, one of Donald Trump’s most controversial nominations, was under a barrage of negative media coverage. The vote was as close as mathematically possible, but did it signal the end of the upper chamber resistance effort?
GOP Fault Lines
Three Republican senators refused to back Hegseth: Kentucky’s Mitch McConnell, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins of Maine. Murkowski and Collins had already signaled they would vote nay on the confirmation, leaving the former Senate minority leader the only unknown as the chamber gathered.
While the former leader’s ultimate decision was closely guarded, his Senate colleagues appeared prepared for him to side with the Democratic members. When asked whether the votes were available, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi said, “I think we’ll probably need to see the vice president.”
Having Trump’s cabinet nominees confirmed is vital for the new president to keep his agenda's momentum moving. The possibilities for hold-ups are numerous and varied. For Donald Trump, supporting his nominees is likely equivalent to supporting his plans – so he might see this as a loyalty litmus test.
Senator McConnell said in a statement:
“Effective management of nearly 3 million military and civilian personnel, an annual budget of nearly $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships around the world is a daily test with staggering consequences for the security of the American people and our global interests.”
“Mr. Hegseth has failed, as yet, to demonstrate that he will pass this test. But as he assumes office, the consequences of failure are as high as they have ever been,” he concluded.
Hegseth and a Democrat Opening?
This willingness of the three Republican senators to break ranks, even if their vote was from a stance of firmly held belief, sent smoke signals to the Democratic caucus that there was an exploitable fissure.
Pete Hegseth was – despite his arguably impressive hearings – the canary in the coal mine. As Liberty Nation News commented prior to the vote:
“[W]hile some Republican senators may have genuine misgivings about Hegseth in the role of secretary of defense, showing a united front on this first notable candidate could dampen later attacks against those whom they see as more palatable. After all, the logic goes for the opposition that if the GOP is willing to unite and push Hegseth over the finish line, further resistance to less controversial candidates may just be a waste of time and effort.
McConnell, Murkowski, and Collins appear to have given fresh purpose and hope to whatever efforts lay ahead to oppose Trump’s nominees.
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