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WATCH: 'You're not qualified,' Senator Duckworth tells Hegseth in confirmation questioning - PBS NewsHour (2 videos)
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told Trump Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth during his Tuesday confirmation hearing that she did not believe he was qualified to do the job.
"This hearing now seems to be a hearing about whether or not women are qualified to serve in combat. And not about whether or not you are qualified to be Secretary of Defense. And let me just say that the American people need a Secretary of Defense who's ready to lead on day one. You are not that person," she said.
Duckworth asked Hegseth about whether he'd led an audit or international security negotiations. She suggested he was asking the committee to lower their standards for defense secretary because he was "buddies" with President-elect Donald Trump.
Responding to Hegseth's past comments questioning women in the military and in combat roles, she said "there is no U.S. military as we know it" without them.
While women have earned their place in their units, "You have not earned your place as Secretary of Defense," Duckworth added.
"You say you care about keeping the armed forces strong ... then let's not lower the standards for you," she said. - Aired on 01/14/2025.
WATCH: Duckworth says Hegseth is 'not competent to do the job' - PBS NewsHour
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., a combat veteran, told Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth that the military "cannot be led by someone who's not competent to do the job."
Duckworth displayed a poster of the "soldier's creed" behind her as she questioned Hegseth during his Tuesday confirmation hearing.
"Our troops follow these words every single day, and they run up and they packed their rucksacks and they go to war, and they deserve a leader who can lead them, not a leader who wants to lower the standards for himself or raising the standards for other people," she said.
Hegseth is a military veteran and conservative media personality. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary has faced allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking, and been criticized as a nominee for his controversial views on diversity and religion in the military. - Aired on 01/14/2025.