The Senate voted 51-50 on Friday night to confirm Pete Hegseth, a Fox News host who has criticized women in combat roles and paid $50,000 to a woman who accused him of sexual assault, as defense secretary.

Vice President JD Vance broke a tie to confirm Hegseth after three Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Mitch McConnell — joined Democrats in opposing his confirmation. It marked Vance’s first tiebreaking vote as vice president and only the second time in U.S. history that a vice president has broken a tie to confirm a Cabinet nominee. The previous time this happened was in 2017, when former Vice President Mike Pence cast the deciding vote for Betsy DeVos’ confirmation as education secretary.

During hours of debate on Friday, Democratic senators excoriated Hegseth over their concerns about his personal conduct and his qualifications. 

“Are you sure that you trust him with this job? Are you sure there isn’t another individual the president could choose who could pursue the same goals but is better prepared to do this job?,” said Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona. “Are you sure it’s worth the risk to our service members, to our national security, and to your families? I know I’m not.”  

The vote came a little more than a week after Hegseth’s contentious appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee. During the hearing, Hegseth denied allegations of financial mismanagement, excessive drinking and sexual misconduct. Hegseth also faced questions about his past statements that women should not serve in combat.

Many Democrats criticized Hegseth for not meeting with them ahead of his confirmation vote. 

“I mean, if Mr. Hegseth is afraid of me, how is he going to stand up to China?,” Sen. Patty Murray of Washington said in her remarks on the floor. “Meeting with members on both sides isn’t just some formality—if you are confirmed, it is part of the job.”

In confirming Hegseth, the Senate signed off on a nominee whose position appeared at times to be in peril as allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against him. Another one of Trump’s Cabinet picks, former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, who had been investigated by the House Ethics Committee and the Department of Justice, withdrew from consideration as attorney general in November. 

Hegseth and his family were in the Capitol and watched the vote from the Strom Thurmond room in the U.S. Senate side.  

Hegseth paid $50,000 in a confidential settlement to a woman who filed a police report accusing him of raping her in 2017 at a Republican women’s conference in Monterey, California. No charges were brought against Hegseth; his lawyer maintains the encounter was consensual. The New Yorker and other outlets have reported on other allegations against Hegseth, namely that he mismanaged funds and abused alcohol while leading two veteran-focused nonprofits, and that his colleagues at Fox News witnessed him drinking to excess while he was a weekend co-host at “Fox and Friends.” Hegseth has repeatedly denied those claims, including in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, and told former Fox News host Megyn Kelly in an interview on her SiriusXM show that he wouldn’t drink alcohol as defense secretary.  

As part of the confirmation process, the FBI prepared a background report on Hegseth, which has only been reviewed by the senior Republican and Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. Though the background report was not made available to other senators, more information about Hegseth has come to light since he testified before the committee. 

NBC News reported this week that after the hearings, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker of Mississippi and ranking Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island received a new briefing from the FBI about a statement from Hegseth’s second ex-wife, Samantha, regarding his drinking. A former sister-in-law, Danielle Hegseth, who was formerly married to the nominee’s brother, submitted an affidavit on Tuesday about alcohol use and “erratic and aggressive” behavior during Pete and Samantha Hegseth’s marriage.

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina posed additional questions to Hegseth — and Hegseth again denied the allegations. When asked for comment by NBC News, Samantha Hegseth said she had not asked anyone to discuss her marriage on her behalf and added: “There was no physical abuse in my marriage. This is the only further statement I will make to you.” 

Hegseth could only get the majority needed for confirmation in a Republican-led Senate after Vance cast his tiebreaking vote. Several lawmakers, as well as many veterans and some military advocates, warned that his confirmation could be detrimental to recruiting and retaining women in the military, which already has a recruitment crisis and an “epidemic” of sexual assault and harassment. 

In a podcast interview in November, Hegseth said he didn’t believe women should serve in combat roles. He wrote in a book that standards have been changed to accommodate women, ultimately diminishing the military’s capability. He also claimed that “America’s white sons and daughters” are walking away from the military because of “woke” ideology and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. 

Women veterans, national security organizations and military historians pushed back against Hegseth’s remarks and pointed out that when it comes to combat roles, it’s against the law to lower standards for women. 
As allegations continued to surface and Hegseth worked to gain congressional support, there were reports that Trump was considering replacing him with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. But Trump ultimately stood by his nominee. In December, the then-president-elect wrote on Truth Social that Hegseth was a “winner” who was “doing very well” and someone “who leads with charisma and skill.”