Thune spoke about a lack of "clarity" when suggesting that clearing confirmation hearings wasn't as certain for Patel as for Hegseth.

The Senate Armed Services panel has 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats, so Hegseth can only lose a single Republican, if all Democrats oppose him, for the nomination to be voted favorably out of committee.

Pete Hegseth vowed to foster a "warrior culture" at the Pentagon and be a "change agent." He did not address the allegations of sexual assault and excessive drinking, focusing instead on his combat experience.