(NewsNation) — Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as secretary of Defense on Friday night.
Vance stepped in after Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voted no for Hegseth, leaving the chamber at a 50-50 tie.
“I thought I was done voting in the senate,” Vance shared on X, accompanied by a laughing emoji.
President Donald Trump congratulated Hegseth on Truth Social: “Congratulations to Pete Hegseth. He will make a great Secretary of Defense.”
Mitch McConnell shares statement after vote
McConnell outlined his reason for voting against Hegseth in a statement released shortly after the voting concluded.
He pointed to the department’s nearly $1 trillion budget and 3 million personnel as a daily test in management.
“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,” McConnell said in a statement.
The senator cited Hegseth’s testimony before Congress as another cause for concern, pointing to the newly confirmed Defense secretary’s lack of “substantial observations” regarding attacks from China in the Philippines or Taiwan.
“Mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough to fill these shoes. And ‘dust on boots’ fails even to distinguish this nominee from multiple predecessors of the last decade,” the statement continues.
However, McConnell ended his response with a word of goodwill toward Hegseth, saying in part: “I wish Secretary Hegseth great success, and I look forward to working closely with him to restore American hard power. Every member of the uniformed services will be looking to him for decisive, principled, and nonpartisan leadership.”
McConnell’s decision follows statements Thursday from Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, who separately announced why they voted against the former combat veteran and Fox News personality on Thursday’s vote.
Pete Hegseth addresses allegations
As the vote began, Hegseth shared a statement on X regarding the allegations. He addressed the claims levied against him paragraph by paragraph, claiming multiple times that his sister-in-law Danielle Dietrich exaggerated or lied in her affidavit.
“Ultimately, Ms. Dietrich has told stories about things she hasn’t seen and exaggerated tales of alcohol use during a time when I admittedly drank more than I have in years,” the statement reads. “None of this is relevant to the issue up for a vote tonight and should be rejected.”
Hegseth faces allegations of excessive drinking and aggressive actions toward women, which he has denied.
In her statement announcing her decision not to support Hegseth’s nomination, Murkowski mentioned both of the claims levied against Hegseth while Collins said she believed the former television host lacked the experience to serve as defense secretary.
Murkowski’s statement said that Hegseth’s “past behaviors … demonstrate a lack of judgment that is unbecoming of someone who could lead our armed forces.”
Regardless, other Republican senators expected Hegseth to be appointed to the role he was nominated for by President Donald Trump.
“Who knows, he may lose one more” Republican, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told NewsNation prior to the vote. “But I’d be very surprised based on the number of people who have publicly said they are going to support him.”