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Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was one of three Republicans to vote Friday against Pete Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed as defense secretary in the new Trump Administration.
The other Republican “no” votes came from moderates Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, forcing Vice President JD Vance to break a 50-50 tie to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon. .
“The most consequential Cabinet official in any administration is the Secretary of Defense,” McConnell wrote, explaining his opposition to Hegseth. “In the face of the most serious threats to the national security interests of the United States since World War II, this position is even more important today.”
“Major adversaries are working more together to undermine American interests around the world,” he said. “And US military capabilities and defense industrial capacity are increasingly insufficient to deter or prevail in a major conflict with China or Russia, especially given the real risk of simultaneous challenges from other adversaries such as Iran or North Korea.” .
Pete Hegseth Confirmed He Led Pentagon After Vice President Vance Casts Tie Votes
Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., asks a question from a reporter during a press conference following the weekly Senate Republican Policy Luncheon at the US Capitol on November 19, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Hegseth, a former Fox News host, had faced questions before his confirmation about his infidelity, accusations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, his previous comments opposing women serving in Combat roles in the army and his leadership skills.
Married three times, Hegseth admitted he was a “serial cheater” before becoming a Christian and marrying his current wife, Jenny. She also originally said that she opposed women in combat, before later saying that she only opposes standards for women in combat that are different from those of men. Hegseth has also denied allegations of sexual assault and has said he would abstain from alcohol as defense secretary.
McConnell said that “dust on the boots” in reference to Hegseth’s military service “fails to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat experience and the time in the trenches they have failed at the job.”
“Effectively managing 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,” said the senator, said the senator, said the senator, said the senator, said the senator, said the senator, said the senator, said the senator, said the senator. “Mr. Hegseth has failed, so far, to demonstrate that he will pass this test. But as he takes office, the consequences of failure are as high as ever.”
Moderate Republican Murkowski does not support Trump choosing Hegseth for Defense Secretary
Pete Hegseth testifies during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
McConnell emphasized that Hegseth, in his testimony before the Armed Services Committee, “failed to consider this reality” that the United States “faces coordinated aggression from adversaries bent on destroying the order that underpins American security and prosperity.”
“President Trump has rightly called on NATO allies to spend more on our collective defense. But the nominee who would have been responsible for leading that effort would not even commit to increasing US defense spending beyond the low bar set by the Biden administration’s budget requests,” McConnell said.
The senator also said Hegseth’s testimony lacked “substantial observations on how to defend Taiwan or the Philippines against a Chinese attack, or even whether he believes the United States should do so.” McConnell said Hegseth failed to “articulate in any detail a strategic vision for dealing with the most serious long-term threat emanating from it.” from china.
Pete Hegseth at the conclusion of his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, January 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
McConnell also noted a lack of “substantive discussion” of “countering our adversaries’ alignment with deeper alliance relationships and more extensive defense industrial cooperation.”
“This, of course, is due to change,” McConnell said. “As the 29th Secretary of Defense, Mr. Hegseth will be immediately tested by ongoing conflicts caused by Russian aggression in Europe and Iranian-backed terror in the Middle East. He will have to deal with an appropriations process from “Unfinished fiscal year that – without your intervention – risks further damaging the readiness of our forces.”
“By all accounts, brave young men and women join the military with the understanding that it is a meritocracy,” he added. “This precious trust endures only as long as legal civilian leadership upholds what must be a firewall between service members and politics. The Biden administration failed in this fundamental task. But the restoration of ‘warrior culture’ will not come from exchanging a set of cultural warriors for another.”
