Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, who initially did not publicly back Pete Hegseth’s nomination as secretary of Defense, publicly questioned the nominee on Tuesday morning on her three “very important issues” surrounding the military.
“I want to know, again, let’s make it very clear for everyone here today, as Secretary of Defense, will you support women continuing to have the opportunity to serve in combat roles?” Ernst asked former Fox News host Hegseth on Tuesday, saying women serving in the military was one of her top three concerns.
“Senator, first of all, thank you for your service. As we discussed extensively as well, and my answer is yes, exactly the way that you caveated it. Yes, women will have access to ground combat roles, combat roles given the standards remain high, and we’ll have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded,” Hegseth responded.
Ernst sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which held its hearing on Hegseth’s nomination Tuesday morning. She initially withheld public support of the Trump nominee before later signaling she endorsed his nomination.
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. (Getty Images)
The Iowa senator said in her opening remarks that she is known for not keeping “anything hidden, pull no punches,” while thanking Hegseth for joining the committee for the hearing. She explained that she had three top issues to ask Hegseth, including an audit of the Department of Defense, women serving in combat roles and “making sure that we are combating sexual assault in the military.”
On the point of a DOD audit, Hegseth said that he has long called for an audit and supports one, before moving onto his view of women serving in military combat roles and combating sexual assault in the military.
“A priority of mine has been combating sexual assault in the military and making sure that all of our service members are treated with dignity and respect. This has been so important. Senator Gillibrand and I have worked on this, and we were able to get changes made to the uniform code of military justice to make sure that we have improvements, and on how we address the tragic and life altering, issues of rape, sexual assault. It will demand time and attention from the Pentagon under your watch, if you are confirmed,” Ernst said.
“So, as secretary of Defense, will you appoint a senior level official dedicated to sexual assault prevention and response?” she asked.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) talks to reporters following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon in the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 14, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Hegseth said that, as they had previously discussed, he would appoint an official to such a role.
Late last year, Ernst initially withheld committing to voting in favor of Hegseth before backtracking and saying she would support the nominee as the Trump orbit was anticipated to ramp up criticisms against Ernst.
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“It’s really this simple: If you oppose President Trump’s nominees, you oppose the Trump agenda and there will be a political price to pay for that. We are well aware that there are certain establishment Senators trying to tank the President’s nominees to make him look weak and damage him politically, and we’re just not going to allow that to happen,” a top Trump ally told Fox News Digital as Ernst hesitated about offering her endorsement.
Ernst said in comments last month that she supported his nomination.
“As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources,” Ernst said at the time.
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Ernst’s questions followed Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Kirsten Gillibrand grilling the candidate about similar issues surrounding women in the military.
Michael Waltz (R-FL), left, introduces President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, during his Senate Armed Services confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 14, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“You’ve made a number of surprising statements about women in the military,” Shaheen told Hegseth, before noting that women comprise roughly 18% of U.S. military personnel.
“Women in our military, as I have said publicly, have and continue to make amazing contributions across all aspects of our battlefield,” Hegseth responded.
“What I’m confused about, Mr. Hegseth, is why should women in our military— if you were the secretary of defense— believe that they would have a fair shot and an equal opportunity to rise through the ranks? If, on the one hand, you say that women are not competent, they make our military less effective— and on the other hand, you say, ‘Oh, now, now that I’ve been nominated to be the Secretary of Defense, I’ve changed my view on women in the military.’”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., speaks at a campaign event for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Nov. 6, 2022 at Sarah Lawrence College in Yonkers, New York. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
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Hegseth responded that his concern revolves around standards used for women in combat roles and those standards getting watered down.
“I would be honored to have the opportunity to serve alongside, shoulder to shoulder, men and women; black, white; all backgrounds with a shared purpose,” Hegseth said.
Trump nominated Hegseth, a former National Guard officer, as secretary of Defense in November following his election win, saying “with Pete at the helm, America’s enemies are on notice — Our Military will be Great Again, and America will Never Back Down.” Hegseth was a host on “Fox & Friends Weekend” before Trump’s nomination.
