The Senate is poised for a rare late-night Friday vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, as Republican leaders are making good on their promise to grind through President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees in the face of Democratic objections.
Hegseth, who lost two Republican votes during a Thursday cloture vote, will likely be confirmed during a 9 p.m. vote series. Senate Majority Leader John Thune will then move to a cloture vote on Kristi Noem’s nomination to lead DHS. If no time is yielded back, Noem’s confirmation vote would occur on Sunday morning.
That would mean nearly all of Trump’s Cabinet-level national security officials are Senate-confirmed within a week of his inauguration. Thune has teed up Treasury nominee Scott Bessent and DOT nominee Sean Duffy next.
In other nomination news, Kash Patel — Trump’s pick to lead the FBI — will have his Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Jan. 30. This is the same day as former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s (Hawaii) hearing in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Gabbard and Patel are unlikely to get any Democratic votes, and both could have some GOP defections as well.
As we’ve reported, it could be difficult for Gabbard to get through the Intelligence Committee given the makeup of the GOP side and her past positions on key national security issues. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is opposing Hegseth, will be one to watch, in addition to Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.). So Gabbard’s confirmation hearing could be make-or-break for her nomination.
One more thing: Collins noted in her statement opposing Hegseth that she wasn’t convinced that Hegseth had actually changed his position on women in combat. It will be interesting to see whether Gabbard allays similar criticisms — likely to be expressed at her hearing — that she hasn’t actually changed her view on Section 702 of FISA.
Some Hegseth news: Here’s a letter from 27 House Republican women showing support for Hegseth. The group of GOP women hails Hegseth as “a game-changing, trail-blazing nominee who will deliver on President Trump’s promise to make America strong again.”
