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Hegseth answers questions from Blumenthal, Gillibrand during confirmation hearing

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. speaks as Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., right, listens at the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Alex Brandon
/
AP
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. speaks as Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., right, listens at the Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.

President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination for defense secretary was on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, answering scathing questions from Connecticut and New York senators during his confirmation hearing.

Democratic senators Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which hosted the hearing.

Gillibrand focused on Hegseth’s comments about women and LGBTQ+ members of the military. In his latest book, Hegseth said diversity, equity and inclusion policies in the military were driving men and white people away.

There were frequent interruptions and cross-speak — at least three from individual protestors and many more between senators and Hegseth — like this one:

“I spent months talking to active duty service members, men and women, low ranks, high ranks, combat arms and not combat arms," Hegseth said. "And what each and every one of them told me, and which personal instances have told me, is that in ways, direct, indirect, overt and subtle standards have been changed inside infantry training units, Ranger School, infantry battalions, to ensure that —”

Gillibrand interrupted, “Please give me an example, I get you’re making these generalized statements —”

“Commanders need quotas to have a certain number of female infantry officers or infantry enlisted, and that disparages those women —” Hegseth said.

“Commanders do not have to have a quota for women in the infantry. That does not exist. It does not exist,” Gillibrand responded.

When asked by WSHU in December whether she would vote to confirm Hegseth, Gillibrand did not say yes or no, but rather that she would assess each nominee on their merits.

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.
Alex Brandon/AP
/
AP
Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's choice to be Defense secretary, appears before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.

On Tuesday, each senator was given seven minutes for questioning. From other members of the committee, he faced questions about whether or not he had a drinking problem, sexual assault accusations he faced, and whether or not he would support using military force to invade Greenland or the Panama Canal.

Blumenthal used his time to ask about money and personnel management at two nonprofit companies Hegseth led. He cited budget shortfalls at both companies, which were veteran-centered.

“That isn't the kind of fiscal management we want at the Department of Defense. We can't tolerate it at the Department of Defense, that's an organization with a budget of $850 billion billion dollars, not $10 or $15 million, which was the case at those two organizations. And it has command responsibility for 3.4 million Americans. The highest number that you managed in those two organizations was maybe 50 people,” Blumenthal said.

Blumenthal told Hegseth he would support him as Pentagon spokesperson, but that he was not qualified to lead the Department of Defense.

Hegseth needs a simple majority vote of support in the Senate to be confirmed. Republicans control the Senate with 53 members.

Watch the whole confirmation hearing here.

Molly is a reporter covering Connecticut. She also produces Long Story Short, a podcast exploring public policy issues across Connecticut.