{"id":8653,"date":"2025-01-15T10:30:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T15:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greatamericanewsdesk.com\/?p=8653"},"modified":"2025-01-15T10:30:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T15:30:15","slug":"republican-holdout-opts-to-support-sec-of-defense-nominee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greatamericanewsdesk.com\/capitol-hill\/republican-holdout-opts-to-support-sec-of-defense-nominee\/njackson\/2025\/01\/","title":{"rendered":"Republican Holdout Opts To Support Sec. Of Defense Nominee"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A significant win…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, scored a significant endorsement after a grueling hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to\u00a0Fox News<\/a>, Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst \u2014 who previously declared herself being on the fence regarding Hegseth \u2014 said Tuesday evening that she was on board with the appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That speaks volumes because Ernst was the only GOP holdout making her reservations public on the Senate Armed Services Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cAfter four years of weakness in the White House, Americans deserve a strong Secretary of Defense,\u201d Ernst told Fox News via a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur next commander in chief selected Pete Hegseth to serve in this role, and after our conversations, hearing from Iowans, and doing my job as a United States Senator, I will support President Trump\u2019s pick for Secretary of Defense,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs I serve on the Armed Services Committee, I will work with Pete to create the most lethal fighting force and hold him to his commitments of auditing the Pentagon, ensuring opportunity for women in combat while maintaining high standards, and selecting a senior official to address and prevent sexual assault in the ranks.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The endorsement is critical, as Ernst had first told the media she was skeptical of Trump’s pick\u00a0and subsequently issued a statement vaguely supportive of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December Ernst, a combat veteran, told Fox News that she had a \u201cvery long, lengthy discussion\u201d with Hegseth in early December and added that \u201cwe will continue with the vetting process. I think that is incredibly important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When\u00a0Fox News\u2019 Bill Hemmer responded that\u00a0it sounded like the Senator hadn\u2019t \u201cgotten to a yes\u201d yet, she responded, \u201cI think you are right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\ud83d\udea8Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst \u2014 who happily voted for LLoyd Austin to run DoD \u2014

\u2014 explains that right now, she is not a \u201cyes\u201d vote for Pete Hegseth. pic.twitter.com\/zlPsyj7tgc<\/a><\/p>— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) December 5, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>