Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky voted against President Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth.The vote came down to the wire Friday night, with all Democrats and three Republicans voting against the nomination.McConnell was one of those three “no” votes, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.Vice President JD Vance had to be called in to break the 50-50 tie, only the second time ever in American history that a tie vote happened for a presidential cabinet nominee. The other time was Trump’s nominee for secretary of education during his first term, Betsy DeVos.While Murkowski and Collins have a history of occasionally voting against Trump’s wishes during his first term in office — including DeVos for secretary of education — McConnell does not and was in a significantly different position than the two other senators as the Senate majority leader during Trump’s first term.Now, McConnell, 82, is both outside of leadership and speculated to not be running for reelection in 2026. And with two years left in his current elected term, McConnell now appears to be displaying an openness to vote against the official party line that he once dictated just a month ago in the Senate.Sen. John Thune of South Dakota was elected as the new Senate majority leader for the 119th Congress, which started earlier this month. Republicans recently retook the Senate in the 2024 election after it was held for four years by Democrats.In addition to Hegseth, McConnell has also made public statements that have casted doubt on whether he will ultimately be a “yes” vote for Trump’s Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard.McConnell commented further on the rationale behind his vote in a lengthy statement released Friday night.”The most consequential cabinet official in any Administration is the Secretary of Defense,” McConnell wrote. “In the face of the gravest threats to U.S. national security interests since World War II, this position is even more important today. Stewardship of the United States Armed Forces, and of the complex bureaucracy that exists to support them, is a massive and solemn responsibility. At the gravest moments, under the weight of this public trust, even the most capable and well-qualified leaders to set foot in the Pentagon have done so with great humility – from George Marshall harnessing American enterprise and Atlantic allies for the Cold War, to Caspar Weinberger orchestrating the Reagan build-up, to Bob Gates earning the wartime trust of two Commanders-in-Chief, of both parties.” “Mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough to fill these shoes,” McConnell continued. “And ‘dust on boots’ fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat experience and time in the trenches have failed at the job. Major adversaries are working closer together to undermine U.S. interests around the world. And America’s military capabilities and defense industrial capacity are increasingly insufficient to deter or prevail in major conflict with China or Russia, especially given the real risk of simultaneous challenges from other adversaries like Iran or North Korea.”He concluded, “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.”Hegseth, a former major in the U.S. Army, has been under heavy scrutiny since being announced as Trump’s pick for secretary of defense in November. Among the list of complaints by detractors such as McConnell include his lack of experience in senior military roles.Additionally, Hegseth has faced allegations of physical and sexual assault toward women, as well as reportedly frequently showing up drunk to work during his time as a host at Fox News.Hegseth has adamantly denied all the misconduct allegations, labeling them repeatedly as “anonymous smears” before senators during his confirmation hearing.Meanwhile, Kentucky’s other senator, Rand Paul, voted for Hegseth. Paul explained his reasons for his vote in an interview on NewsNation earlier this month.”I first met Pete Hegseth maybe a decade before he was on Fox with Concerned Veterans and I knew him and appreciated his work — never saw anything untoward,” Paul said. “And what I would say is that I liked him not only because he was a combat veteran, but someone who had a healthy respect for war and for not being eager to put people into combat, and thinking of war as the last resort, not the first resort. That’s the kind of, I think, rational, reasonable person I want at the Pentagon.”Hegseth was sworn in as secretary of defense Saturday morning.
Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky voted against President Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth.
The vote came down to the wire Friday night, with all Democrats and three Republicans voting against the nomination.
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McConnell was one of those three “no” votes, along with Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.
Vice President JD Vance had to be called in to break the 50-50 tie, only the second time ever in American history that a tie vote happened for a presidential cabinet nominee. The other time was Trump’s nominee for secretary of education during his first term, Betsy DeVos.
While Murkowski and Collins have a history of occasionally voting against Trump’s wishes during his first term in office — including DeVos for secretary of education — McConnell does not and was in a significantly different position than the two other senators as the Senate majority leader during Trump’s first term.
Now, McConnell, 82, is both outside of leadership and speculated to not be running for reelection in 2026. And with two years left in his current elected term, McConnell now appears to be displaying an openness to vote against the official party line that he once dictated just a month ago in the Senate.
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota was elected as the new Senate majority leader for the 119th Congress, which started earlier this month. Republicans recently retook the Senate in the 2024 election after it was held for four years by Democrats.
In addition to Hegseth, McConnell has also made public statements that have casted doubt on whether he will ultimately be a “yes” vote for Trump’s Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard.
McConnell commented further on the rationale behind his vote in a lengthy statement released Friday night.
“The most consequential cabinet official in any Administration is the Secretary of Defense,” McConnell wrote. “In the face of the gravest threats to U.S. national security interests since World War II, this position is even more important today. Stewardship of the United States Armed Forces, and of the complex bureaucracy that exists to support them, is a massive and solemn responsibility. At the gravest moments, under the weight of this public trust, even the most capable and well-qualified leaders to set foot in the Pentagon have done so with great humility – from George Marshall harnessing American enterprise and Atlantic allies for the Cold War, to Caspar Weinberger orchestrating the Reagan build-up, to Bob Gates earning the wartime trust of two Commanders-in-Chief, of both parties.”
“Mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough to fill these shoes,” McConnell continued. “And ‘dust on boots’ fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade. Nor is it a precondition for success. Secretaries with distinguished combat experience and time in the trenches have failed at the job. Major adversaries are working closer together to undermine U.S. interests around the world. And America’s military capabilities and defense industrial capacity are increasingly insufficient to deter or prevail in major conflict with China or Russia, especially given the real risk of simultaneous challenges from other adversaries like Iran or North Korea.”
He concluded, “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.”
Hegseth, a former major in the U.S. Army, has been under heavy scrutiny since being announced as Trump’s pick for secretary of defense in November. Among the list of complaints by detractors such as McConnell include his lack of experience in senior military roles.
Additionally, Hegseth has faced allegations of physical and sexual assault toward women, as well as reportedly frequently showing up drunk to work during his time as a host at Fox News.
Hegseth has adamantly denied all the misconduct allegations, labeling them repeatedly as “anonymous smears” before senators during his confirmation hearing.
Meanwhile, Kentucky’s other senator, Rand Paul, voted for Hegseth. Paul explained his reasons for his vote in an interview on NewsNation earlier this month.
“I first met Pete Hegseth maybe a decade before he was on Fox with Concerned Veterans and I knew him and appreciated his work — never saw anything untoward,” Paul said. “And what I would say is that I liked him not only because he was a combat veteran, but someone who had a healthy respect for war and for not being eager to put people into combat, and thinking of war as the last resort, not the first resort. That’s the kind of, I think, rational, reasonable person I want at the Pentagon.”
Hegseth was sworn in as secretary of defense Saturday morning.
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