Hegseth should be confirmed immediately, but Democrats have chosen to put partisan politics over national security
WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) today spoke on the Senate floor strongly supporting Pete Hegseth’s nomination to be the next Secretary of Defense. He also blasted Senate Democrats for putting partisan, political games over national security.
Mr. Hegseth needs to be confirmed immediately to begin implementing President Trump’s peace through strength agenda. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats have chosen to engage in political theater, delaying Pete’s critical confirmation.
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
Thank you, Mr. President.
I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the confirmation of my constituent and friend, Pete Hegseth, to be Secretary of Defense.
Last week, during his four-and-a-half-hour confirmation hearing, America saw exactly why President Trump nominated Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. Pete is a patriotic, smart, and energetic leader. His priority is our warfighters, and having their backs, by focusing the Department on lethality and competence—rather than extraneous political and social issues. He is the type of leader that can inspire, recruit and retain the best talent.
Despite Pete’s qualifications, the mainstream media—desperate to derail President Trump and his nominees—has gone after his character by airing false and unsubstantiated allegations.
Take for example the article published Tuesday by The New York Times.
Despite the salacious and misleading headline, buried beneath 13 paragraphs of slanderous allegations, the Times disclaims the entire story with a direct quote from the supposed victim herself denying the allegations against Pete, saying: “There was no physical abuse in my marriage.”
Take a moment to think about this.
The New York Times intentionally ran with the salacious and debunked account buried the truth and distorted the lead simply to undermine President Trump and his nominee.
The New York Times is not alone, unfortunately; NBC News, The Hill, Politico, and even the Associated Press all chose to run the salacious, false headline instead of the facts.
Unfortunately, I’m not surprised.
This is the type of misleading—and often unequivocally false—reporting we’ve learned to expect from the left-leaning media.
The American people remember that The New York Times is the same publication that denied and suppressed the Hunter Biden Laptop story leading up to the 2020 election. It’s the same paper that endorsed Joe Biden for President in 2020, and it’s the same outlet that endorsed Kamala Harris in 2024.
The American people are sick and tired of the deception stemming from the alliance between Democrats and the so-called “mainstream media.”
This is yet another example of a story published, with an aim to do harm, despite evidence to the contrary. It’s why media has lost much of its credibility with the American people who see this article for what it is—a desperate last-minute attempt to generate controversy where none exists.
Pete Hegseth is someone who is going to fix the Pentagon and deliver on President Trump’s vision of peace through strength. He is exactly the type of leader the Pentagon needs in the face of an increasingly complex and escalating security situation around the world.
So, while I am disappointed, I am not surprised at this eleventh hour attempt by the media to raise debunked and completely discredited falsehoods simply with an aim to derail a confirmation. I urge my colleagues to see through the noise and evaluate Pete’s nomination based on the merits—which is why I plan to vote to confirm Mr. Hegseth.
I yield the floor.
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