Iowa's Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said Tuesday she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth to lead the ... is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at [email protected] ...

Hegseth was confirmed as Secretary of Defense Friday night after a tight Senate vote that had Vice President J.D. Vance cast the tiebreaking vote.

A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.

On this week's On Iowa politics podcast, SCJ's Jared McNett, Lee Des Moines Bureau Chief May Marchel Hoff and QCT's Sarah Watson talk Condition of the State address and a potential casino moratorium.

Lake's homecoming to the state initially came as Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, faced intense backlash from President Donald Trump supporters over her hesitation to back the now recently confirmed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Ernst ended speculation by publicly declaring her vote for Hegseth.

Pete Hegseth is closer to Senate confirmation as Trump's Defense secretary despite controversy and allegations of serious impropriety.

In brief remarks, he outlined what he said were his guiding principles: “Restore the warrior ethos in everything that we do, rebuild our military and reestablish deterrence.”

The payment is according to answers he provided to a senator during his confirmation process that The Associated Press has obtained.

The Senate confirmed Pete Hegseth late Friday, swatting back questions about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon.

Despite the controversy surrounding his past behavior, former veteran and FOX News host Pete Hegseth has been confirmed as the new defense secretary in President Donald Trump’s cabinet.

Pete Hegseth was sworn in as Defense ... noting Samantha Hegseth signed a court document in the divorce stating no domestic abuse occurred. Jan. 14, 7:45 p.m.Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa—widely seen as a key vote due to her advocacy against military sexual ...

Pete Hegseth ... He was also questioned about the issue by Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iraq veteran and a survivor of sexual assault. Hegseth reiterated an earlier promise to Ernst that he will ...