At the nomination hearing for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth is up against senators.

 At the nomination hearing for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth is up against senators.

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The first public questioning of the president-elect's top administration choices begins Tuesday with a marathon run of Senate confirmation hearings for Trump's choice for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth. The main event of the day will be Hegseth's explanation of an 8-year-old rape complaint that ended without charges, accusations of drinking on the job, and his views on women in the military. 

The hearing will be a test of Trump's influence over Senate Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority over the Democrats, as some senators have questioned Hegseth's suitability to lead the $850 billion Defense Department.

The hearings on Tuesday are but a taste of what is to come on Wednesday, when Trump's nominees to lead the Homeland Security Department are due to testify before six distinct Senate committees.

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