McConnell voted no on Hegseth as Pentagon head, forcing Vance to cast tiebreaker

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was 1 of 3 Republicans to ballot connected Friday against Pete Hegseth, who was narrowly confirmed arsenic defence caput successful the caller Trump administration.

The different Republican "no" votes came from moderates Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, forcing Vice President JD Vance to interruption the 50-50 necktie to corroborate President Donald Trump's prime to pb the Pentagon.

"The astir consequential furniture authoritative successful immoderate Administration is the Secretary of Defense," McConnell wrote, explaining his absorption to Hegseth. "In the look of the gravest threats to U.S. nationalist information interests since World War II, this presumption is adjacent much important today."

"Major adversaries are moving person unneurotic to undermine U.S. interests astir the world," helium said. "And America’s subject capabilities and defence concern capableness are progressively insufficient to deter oregon prevail successful large struggle with China oregon Russia, particularly fixed the existent hazard of simultaneous challenges from different adversaries similar Iran oregon North Korea."

PETE HEGSETH CONFIRMED TO LEAD PENTAGON AFTER VP VANCE CASTS TIE-BREAKING VOTE

Hegseth, a erstwhile Fox News host, had faced questions up of his confirmation implicit his infidelity, allegations of intersexual battle and excessive drinking, his erstwhile comments opposing women serving successful combat roles successful the military and his enactment abilities.

Married 3 times, Hegseth has admitted helium was a "serial cheater" earlier helium became a Christian and joined his existent wife, Jenny. He besides primitively said helium opposed women successful combat, earlier aboriginal saying that helium lone opposes standards for women successful combat that are antithetic from those for men. Hegseth has additionally denied the intersexual battle allegations and has said helium would abstain from intoxicant arsenic defence secretary. 

McConnell said "dust connected boots" successful notation to Hegseth's subject work "fails adjacent to separate this nominee from aggregate predecessors of the past decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat acquisition and clip successful the trenches person failed astatine the job."

"Effective absorption of astir 3 cardinal subject and civilian personnel, an yearly fund of astir $1 trillion, and alliances and partnerships astir the satellite is simply a regular trial with staggering consequences for the information of the American radical and our planetary interests," the legislator said. "Mr. Hegseth has failed, arsenic yet, to show that helium volition walk this test. But arsenic helium assumes office, the consequences of nonaccomplishment are arsenic precocious arsenic they person ever been."

MODERATE REPUBLICAN MURKOWSKI WON'T BACK TRUMP PICK HEGSETH FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY

McConnell stressed that Hegseth, successful his grounds earlier the Armed Services Committee, "did not reckon with this reality" that the U.S. "faces coordinated aggression from adversaries bent connected shattering the bid underpinning American information and prosperity."

"President Trump has rightly called connected NATO allies to walk much connected our corporate defense. But the nominee who would person been liable for starring that effort wouldn’t adjacent perpetrate to increasing America’s defence concern beyond the debased barroom acceptable by the Biden Administration’s fund requests," McConnell said.

The legislator besides said Hegseth's grounds lacked "substantial observations connected however to support Taiwan oregon the Philippines against a Chinese attack, oregon adjacent whether helium believes the United States should bash so." McConnell said Hegseth failed "to articulate successful immoderate item a strategical imaginativeness for dealing with the gravest semipermanent menace emanating" from China.

McConnell additionally noted a deficiency of "substantive discussion" of "countering our adversaries’ alignment with deeper confederation relationships and much extended defence concern practice of our own."

"This, of course, is owed to change," McConnell said. "As the 29th Secretary of Defense, Mr. Hegseth volition beryllium instantly tested by ongoing conflicts caused by Russian aggression successful Europe and Iranian-backed panic successful the Middle East. He volition person to grapple with an unfinished FY25 appropriations process that – without his involution – risks further harming the readiness of our forces."

"By each accounts, brave young men and women articulation the subject with the knowing that it is simply a meritocracy," helium added. "This precious spot endures lone arsenic agelong arsenic lawful civilian enactment upholds what indispensable beryllium a firewall betwixt servicemembers and politics. The Biden Administration failed astatine this cardinal task. But the restoration of ‘warrior culture’ volition not travel from trading 1 acceptable of civilization warriors for another."