Republican lawmakers congratulated Pete Hegseth after he was narrowly confirmed as defense secretary on Friday, with GOP senators saying they were proud to vote for him.

Senators voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth's defense secretary bid, which has been mired in several controversies. Two Republicans oppose him.

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.

The vote came amid concerns about his qualifications to lead the Pentagon amid allegations of heavy drinking and abusive behavior toward women.

At his confirmation hearing last week, the former combat veteran and Fox News host said he was “falsely accused” in the 2017 incident.

Readers criticize the vote on the defense secretary nomination. Also: President Trump and tariffs; silencing health officials; firing of inspectors general; longevity.

President Donald Trump's second White House is looking a lot like the inside of Mar-a-Lago, with extremely wealthy Americans taking key roles in his Republican administration.

A slate of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees have appeared before senators in recent days for key hearings on their road to confirmation. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was the first to be confirmed,

Will the Senate GOP confirm controversial picks like Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr.? Here’s the hearings schedule and list of who’s been confirmed.

More of President Donald Trump's picks for his cabinet are expected to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in the coming days after the Republican-controlled chamber began approving them last week. Hearings for other nominees are scheduled for this week as well,

President Trump's nominees for top posts in his administration are gearing up for their Senate confirmation hearings, which kicked off earlier this month.

Pete Hegseth, a former combat veteran and TV news show host, says he will be a "change agent" and a "warrior" for the department as Republicans demand new and strong leadership in the Pentagon.