Pro-Republican Hegseth quizzes SecDef nominee on her top 3 issues in military: ‘pulling no punches’
Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who initially did not publicly endorse Pete Hegseth appointed Minister of Defensepublicly questioned the candidate Tuesday morning about her three “very important issues” related to the military.
“I want to know, once again, let’s be clear to everyone here today, as Secretary of Defense, will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles?” Ernst asked former Fox News host Hegseth on Tuesday, saying women serving in the military were one of her top three concerns.
“Senator, first of all, thank you for your service. As we’ve also discussed at length, and my answer is yes, exactly as you said. Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, combat roles given the standards remain high , and we will conduct an audit to ensure that standards are not breached,” Hegseth replied.
Ernst sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which held a hearing on Hegseth’s nomination Tuesday morning. At first, she was reserved from the public support for Trump’s candidate before later signaling her support for his nomination.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. (Getty Images)
The Iowa senator said in her opening remarks that she is known for holding “nothing hidden, no punches,” while thanking Hegseth for joining the hearing committee. She explained that she had three main questions to ask Hegseth, including a review of the Ministry of Defence, women serving in combat roles and “ensuring we tackle sexual assault in the military”.
As for the DOD review, Hegseth said he has long called for and supports the review, before moving on to his position on women serving in military combat roles and combating sexual assault in the military.
“My priority has been fighting sexual assault in the military and making sure that all of our service members are treated with dignity and respect. This was so important. Senator Gillibrand and I worked on this and we were able to get the changes made to the uniform code of military justice to make sure we have improvements, and how we deal with tragic and life-changing issues of rape, sexual assault, the Pentagon is under your watch, if you’re confirmed,” Ernst said.
“So, as Secretary of Defense, will you appoint a senior-level official dedicated to preventing and responding to sexual assault?” she asked.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) speaks to reporters after the weekly Senate Republican Policy Luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on February 14, 2023 in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Hegseth said that, as previously discussed, he would appoint an official to such a role.
Late last year, Ernst initially withheld a commitment to vote in favor of Hegseth before backing down and saying she would support the candidate as Trump’s orbit was expected to heighten criticism of Ernst.
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“It’s really as simple as this: If you oppose President Trump’s nominees, you oppose Trump’s agenda, and you will pay a political price for that. We recognize that there are certain establishment senators who are trying to thwart the president’s nominees to make him look weak and damage him politically, and we’re just not going to let that happen, a top Trump ally told Fox News Digital as Ernst hesitated to offer her support.
In comments last month, Ernst said she supported his nomination.
“As I support Pete in this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on the truth, not anonymous sources,” Ernst said at the time.
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Ernst’s questions followed by Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kirsten Gillibrand grill the candidate about similar issues surrounding women in the military.
Michael Waltz (R-FL), left, introduces President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, during his Senate confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on January 14, 2025 in Washington, DC (Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“You’ve made a number of surprising statements about women in the military,” Shaheen told Hegseth, before noting that women make up approximately 18% US military personnel.
“Women in our military, as I have said publicly, have made and continue to make incredible contributions in all aspects of our battlefield,” Hegseth replied.
“What puzzles me, Mr. Hegseth, is why women in our military would . . . if you were the Minister of Defense— believe they would have a fair chance and an equal opportunity to advance in the rankings? If, on the one hand, you say that women are not competent, they make our military less effective—and on the other hand, you say, ‘Oh, now, now that I’ve been appointed secretary of defense, I’ve changed the way I look at women in the military.'”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, DN.Y., speaks at a campaign event for New York Governor Kathy Hochul on November 6, 2022 at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
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Hegseth responded that his concern revolved around the standards used for women in combat roles and those standards being watered down.
“I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve together, side by side, men and women; black, white; of all backgrounds with a common purpose,” Hegseth said.
Trump named Hegseth, a former National Guard officer, as Secretary of Defense in November after his election victory, saying “with Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on alert – our military will be great again and America will never back down.” Hegseth was the host of “Fox & Friends Weekend” before Trump’s nomination.
