Pete Hegseth, the combat veteran and former Fox News personality tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as his next secretary of defense, trekked up to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, Jan. 14, for his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The hours-long session occurred under the backdrop of scandal, whether it was over Hegseth’s past indiscretions, his lack of experience in running a large organization, and even the FBI’s standard background check, which Democrats on the panel complained was incomplete.
The hearing went as you might expect. Republicans played up Hegseth’s service to the nation; Democrats delved on the former TV man’s allegations of sexual assault and impropriety. At one point, Hegseth got into trouble when he was asked to explain the importance of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and he went on to name countries that weren’t part of the group. Hegseth’s views of women in the military were a central focus for the committee’s Democrats, who viewed them as archaic at best. Both political parties made their points throughout the hearing.
But therein lies the problem. Ideally, confirmation hearings are meant to poke and prod nominees on their policy views and how they would manage the departments they wish to lead. Approving (or not) a president’s nominees is one of the most consequential roles of the U.S. Senate. The “advice and consent” function is a part of the U.S. Constitution for a reason. It serves as a fundamental check on the executive branch’s power to run roughshod over the federal government.
What should be a forum where serious deliberations about policy take place are increasingly circus shows where lawmakers gesticulate in front of the cameras for dramatic effect, ask leading questions that tell us next to nothing about how the candidate would fulfill their duties, and treat us to long-winded monologues that serve no purpose other than getting airtime on cable television.
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