It will take a simple majority of 50 senators to advance Hegseth’s confirmation in Thursday’s vote. Most Republicans, who hold a 53-seat majority in the chamber, have signaled they will back the nominee, including Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, herself a combat veteran and sexual assault survivor.

The U.S. Senate has begun the process to confirm President-elect Donald Trump's picks for top spots in his upcoming administration this week. Committee hearings were supposed to kick off on Tuesday with Secretary of Veterans Affairs nominee Doug Collins,

Duffey, Trump said in a December social media post, is the nominee to run the Pentagon’s office for acquisition and sustainment, its chief weapons buyer.

Even though Trump has not officially been inaugurated, the Senate can confirm cabinet members before his Oath of Office.

The Republican-controlled Senate plans to work overtime to approve President Donald Trump’s cabinet, including “nights, weekends, recesses,” according to Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Senate Democrats plan to slow down the process as much as possible – their only choice to disrupt the proceedings because it takes only a majority vote to approve nominees.

Dan Caldwell, a former colleague of Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, has publicly criticized the close U.S.-Israel alliance

As Donald Trump returns to the White House on January 20, Republicans will have a majority in the Senate. This means that his Cabinet nominees will likely face an easier path to confirmation, even for those who may have surrounded themselves with controversies.

Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of U.S. Defense, Pete Hegseth ... have expressed concerns that Hegseth would, as Defense secretary, politicize the department and take on unnecessary ...

Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees for his second term are slated for Senate confirmations this week, after a series of discussions. The appointments covering national security, public health, and labor,

The first hearing involving a Trump cabinet nominee will be held on Tuesday as controversial defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth faces the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Donald Trump announced his nomination of Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense Tuesday night ... Hegseth was considered for the leadership of the Department of Veterans Affairs, although ...