GOP voters should not have to wait around and guess whether Republican senators will support the appointees of a Republican president.
Friday’s Senate confirmation of Pete Hegseth to lead the Pentagon was a major win for those hopeful that a second Trump administration will bring transformational change to the federal government. But the uncertainty over whether the Senate GOP would approve his nomination inadvertently shined a light on a glaring problem with the Republican Party.
Until the moment Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tie-breaking vote in his favor, it was virtually unknown whether Hegseth had the votes necessary to become America’s next secretary of defense. The Wall Street Journal reported that Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. — who previously pledged to support Hegseth and President Donald Trump’s other nominees — was seemingly getting cold feet on voting to confirm the Army veteran ahead of Friday night’s confirmation vote.
With all Democrats expected to vote in opposition, Hegseth could only afford to lose three GOP votes. At that point, Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, had already announced their respective intent to oppose Hegseth, and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had given no indication of which way he would vote.
Assuming McConnell sided with Collins and Murkowski, a “no” vote from Tillis would have sunk Hegseth’s confirmation. […]
— Read More: thefederalist.com
