Collins explains her 'no' vote on Hegseth

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), one of two Republicans to vote against advancing Pete Hegseth’s nomination to serve as secretary of Defense, said Thursday he “does not have the management experience and background” needed to do the job.

“After careful consideration, I have decided to vote against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for secretary of Defense,” Collins, the chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced in a statement.

Collins said she appreciates Hegseth’s record as a retired Army major and combat veteran, but added she is “concerned that he does not have the experience and perspective necessary to succeed in the job.”

Collins argued that the nation’s military “is under tremendous pressure right now” because of active conflicts in the Middle East and Europe and escalating threats in the Pacific.

She noted the next secretary of Defense will have to manage 3 million employees and an annual budget of $850 billion.

Hegseth, she said, has only “limited managerial experience involving running two small non-profit organizations that had decidedly mixed results,” referring to his leadership of Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America.

Collins said she is also “concerned” about Hegseth’s “multiple” statements about women serving in the military.

“He and I had a candid conversation in December about his past statements and apparently evolving views. I am not convinced that his position on women serving in combat roles has changed,” she said, noting that women comprise 18 percent of the nation’s active-duty military.

She said that Hegseth appears “to lack a sufficient appreciation for some of the policies the military is required to follow” related to rules of engagement” and “prohibitions against torture.”

“Therefore, I will vote against the nomination,” she said.