Washington D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) released the following statement on his vote against the nomination of Pete Hegseth to lead the Department of Defense. Hegseth was confirmed to the position with a vote of 50-50 with the Vice President breaking the tie.

“As a voice for Georgia’s nearly 100,000 active duty service members and reservists, and as the son of a veteran, I understand the tremendous sacrifice our service members and their families make to protect and serve our nation. Since coming to the Senate, I’ve always prioritized military readiness and protecting the safety of our men and women in uniform. That is why I voted against Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the Department of Defense.

“I have prayed with Georgians before they left for deployment, welcomed them home after serving our nation, and stood beside Gold Star parents to honor their children who made the ultimate sacrifice. Allowing someone to lead the Department of Defense who has repeatedly shown a poor moral compass would dishonor those who give so much to keep our nation safe. And I fear confirming a deeply unqualified nominee would unnecessarily put Georgia service members in harm’s way.

“The Secretary of Defense should embody the high standards that all other service members strive toward. Georgia’s military families sacrifice too much to not have the best Secretary of Defense possible. I believe we can do better.”

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