Pete Hegseth is Donald Trump’s secretary of defense, overcoming a bruising confirmation battle that wasn’t settled until Vice President JD Vance broke a tie vote in the Senate late Friday night.
It was only the second time a vice president has ever had to break a tie on a cabinet nomination.
Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon was uncertain from the beginning until the end, with Trump and Republicans only getting their answer on his confirmation when Sen. Thom Tillis said — after the vote had already begun at 9 p.m. — that he would support Hegseth.