After the hearings on Trump’s defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth last week, it looked more than ever as if he is going to be confirmed, despite the hysterical foolishness of some Democrats.
Now, Hegseth just took another step closer to being confirmed. Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee have just voted to advance Hegseth’s nomination.
From The Hill:
Senate panel advances Defense secretary nominee Hegseth on party-line voteThe Senate Armed Services Committee on Monday voted to advance Pete Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee to serve as secretary of Defense, to the floor.The 14-13 vote was strictly along party lines.Senators on the Armed Services panel also voted to waive the seven-day rule that usually requires at least a week to elapse between a nominee’s confirmation hearing and a vote to discharge from committee.Senate Republicans then held a separate vote to advance Hegseth’s nomination.Hegseth is one of Trump’s most high-profile nominees, and his confirmation hearing last week featured some fireworks as Democrats went on the attack.
More from NBC News:
Asked after Monday’s vote whether he had concerns about Hegseth’s inexperience, Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., replied: “I do not have those concerns and I don’t think the majority of the Senate has those concerns, nor the majority of Americans.””I think he’s got a lot of knowledge and, frankly, we need to shake things up in the Pentagon,” Wicker continued. “There’s too much red tape, there are too many stumbling blocks, there are too many boxes to check, and the bureaucracy has become creaky over time. And so, this is part of the Trump administration’s mandate to shake things up and do things differently.”
Politico suggests a confirmation vote could come as early as Wednesday or Thursday:
Senate Republicans are likely to push through the confirmation of the former Fox News host and Army veteran, although the vote may not occur for several days.Senate Majority Leader John Thune needs Democrats to agree to speed up consideration of Hegseth’s nomination. Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he expects Democrats to block quick action on Hegseth, pushing a confirmation vote to Wednesday or Thursday.
Senator Jim Banks (R-IN) tweeted this yesterday:
I remain cautiously optimistic that Hegseth will be confirmed.
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