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Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump's nominee to be secretary of defense, gestures as he leaves a Senate Committee on Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Jan. 14, 2025.
The fight over Trump’s cabinet picks begins
Hegseth faced questions from Democrats on his history of opposing women in the military, allegations of misconduct, and his ability to lead a department of three million employees and the largest military in the world. But Republicans seemed satisfied with his responses about sexual assault prevention and enthused by his belief that the Pentagon should be audited. They also hailed his promise to strengthen the military. With Republicans in control of the chamber, Hegseth will likely be confirmed when the Senate votes on Friday.
Why is he controversial? The former “Fox & Friends” commentator has been accused of sexual assault and excessive drinking in the workplace, but he has denied all wrongdoing, saying that he is the victim of a “smear campaign.”
What are the chances all of Trump’s picks get through? While most are likely to be approved, the fates of Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI pick, and Tulsi Gabbard, his nominee for director of national intelligence, are rocky.
“For Gabbard, the problem lies in selling Republican senators on a nominee who was a Democrat up until very recently and who has been on the other side of several crucial issues around intelligence collection,” says Eurasia Group’s US expert Clayton Allen.
Meanwhile, Patel, who is a right-wing commentator who has made negative statements about the FBI in the past, “appears to be struggling to explain what his plans for the FBI are, a point that makes it harder for members to look past his more extreme political views.”
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, is seen ahead of a meeting with Sen. Tommy Tuberville in Washington on Dec. 2, 2024.
Trump may swap Hegseth for DeSantis to helm DoD
Hegseth is facing multiple misconduct allegations, including financial mismanagement related to his work with veteran nonprofit groups, sexual assault, sexism, and alcohol abuse. Unsurprisingly, the former Fox News host faces increasingly long odds of being confirmed by the Senate, with as many as six Republican senators considering voting against him. Nonetheless, Hegseth says he’s not backing down.
Perhaps more surprisingly, Trump is reportedly considering Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Hegseth. Over the years, Trump and DeSantis have had a … fraught relationship, drifting back and forth as allies, competitors, and even enemies. Trump repeatedly lashed out against his rival – and DeSantis didn’t exactly hold back.
It appears, however, that despite past animosity, Trump has warmed to the idea of DeSantis replacing Hegseth. DeSantis will almost certainly face an easier confirmation process and spare the incoming Republican administration the embarrassment of a confirmation vote defeat in the Senate.
We’ll be watching whether Trump follows through. Meanwhile, the transition team is reportedly also considering Republican Sens. Joni Ernst and Bill Hagerty.
Biden's controversial Defense pick may need bipartisan support
Jon Lieber, Managing Director of the United States for the Eurasia Group, shares his insights on US politics this week:
First question. Why is Biden's nomination of Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense controversial?
It's controversial because Austin has not been out of the military for the required seven years that are needed, under the National Security Act of 1947, to ensure civilian control over the Department of Defense. As a result, he'll need a waiver from Congress in order to serve. This would be the second waiver that Congress has approved in the last four years with the first one coming for Trump's Secretary of Defense, General Jim Mattis. That was justified at the time because Congress was a little concerned about President Trump and really wanted somebody with a steady hand like Mattis on the till. But Biden has other options, including Michele Flournoy, who has a lot of supporters in Capitol Hill. And so, you're seeing some Democrats suggest they may not be willing to give a waiver this time. Austin may require a lot of Republican votes in order to get confirmed.
Second question. Any update with the new stimulus package?
I wish. This has been going on now for six months. There's been very little progress made. What seemed like a compromise of about a $900 billion stimulus where bipartisan members from both chambers of Congress rallied around that was then mostly embraced by Treasury Secretary Mnuchin has been basically rejected by House Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader McConnell, who are kind of circling around each other trying to get a deal right now and not coming to any conclusion. Time is running short. Congress is supposed to adjourn for Christmas on December 18th. They could potentially come back after Christmas to finish a deal if they don't have one in hand by then. But unemployment insurance starts running out at the end of the month and time's getting really short for Congress to act here.
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