Dem
47
GOP
53
Pete Hegseth's hearing before the Senate went about as well as any Fox entertainer's would, which is to say: pretty poorly. The senators had many questions and he had few answers. He is clearly in over his head and probably prays daily, if not hourly, that he will never have to make any tough decisions that could have visible consequences for which he would get the blame.
The senators peppered him with questions from all sides. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) asked about the war in Ukraine. In particular, he asked Hegseth which side he wanted to see win. Hegseth refused to answer. McConnell then said: "America's reputation is on the line. Will we defend democratic allies against authoritarian aggressors?" Hegseth didn't answer.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) scolded Hegseth for being unacceptably slow preparing the DoD budget. In fact, she is still waiting for some information. She also noted that the budget represented a decreased buying power compared to last year's budget, when inflation is taken into account. Again, he didn't have a proper answer.
And there were more. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) questioned him about Greenland. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) bashed him for cutting military medical research while spending $45 million for a big parade on Trump's birthday. Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) berated him for sending active-duty Marines to Los Angeles, saying that it undermines the readiness of the U.S. military. Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) wanted to know what it will cost to refurbish the royal jet the Qatari government gave Trump for use as Air Force One. Hegseth refused to answer Reed, who fired back: "Why can't it be revealed? This is the Appropriations Committee of the United States Senate. We appropriate the money that you will spend."
All in all, the hearing showed that Hegseth is simply not up to the job of being secretary of defense, just in case anyone didn't know. (V)