The vice president cast the tie-breaking vote after McConnell voted no to Pete Hegseth’s confirmation as the new secretary of defense.
The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth as the new secretary of defense in a late-night session on Jan. 24 that came down to a tie-breaking decision from Vice President JD Vance after Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted no.
President Donald Trump’s nominee initially deadlocked in a 50-50 vote, capping off a contentious confirmation process in which Hegseth faced questions about his views on women serving in combat, as well as allegations of alcoholism, sexual assault, and financial mismanagement at two veteran nonprofit organizations.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) broke ranks with their fellow Republicans to oppose Hegseth’s confirmation. They had signaled their opposition ahead of the hearing late on Jan. 24.
McConnell issued a statement after his vote explaining why he opposed the nomination.
“The most consequential cabinet official in any Administration is the Secretary of Defense. In the face of the gravest threats to U.S. national security interests since World War II, this position is even more important today,” the Kentucky Republican wrote.
McConnell said the United States faces threats from multiple adversaries, including Russia, China, North Korea and