The Senate Armed Services Committee advanced Pete Hegseth’s nomination for Secretary of Defense to the full Senate on Monday, moving him closer to confirmation. The vote, which took place behind closed doors, was strictly along party lines, with all 14 Republican members supporting and all 13 Democratic members opposing.
Senator James Lankford (R-OK) introduced a bill that would "prohibit a health care practitioner from failing to exercise the proper degree of care in the case of a child who survives an abortion or attempted abortion.”
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and 11 Republican senators are calling for accountability after a Department of Defense (DoD) inspector general (IG) report revealed that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin failed to notify the White House and Congress of multiple hospitalizations. The report concluded Austin violated the Federal Vacancies Reform Act (FVRA) and left critical defense responsibilities unaddressed during his incapacitation.
On January 16, 2025, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) reintroduced the bipartisan "No Tax on Tips Act," aiming to exempt gratuities from federal income taxation.
Scott Bessent, nominee for Treasury Secretary under the incoming Trump administration, is set to outline a bold economic agenda during his Senate confirmation hearing Thursday. According to prepared remarks, Bessent will emphasize the need to permanently extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act while advancing new policies to reduce the tax burden on manufacturers, service workers, and seniors.
Holly K. Talley, a former colleague of Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, criticized Senate Democrats for perpetuating false allegations during Hegseth's confirmation hearing. Talley, who worked with Hegseth at Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) from 2013 to 2015, directly refuted claims that Hegseth engaged in inappropriate conduct during a trip to Louisiana.
During a contentious Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) faced criticism for her questioning of Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth. Duckworth repeatedly pressed Hegseth with demands for a "yes or no" answer regarding his experience leading audits, a line of questioning some found overly aggressive.
Families who lost loved ones during the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal are rallying behind Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., criticized Democratic senators for what he called their "hypocritical" questioning of Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth during a contentious confirmation hearing.
