Michigan's U.S. senators voted in committee against Trump's picks to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, and White House budget office, Russell Vought.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut cast doubt Tuesday on nominee Pete Hegseth’s ability to run the Department of Defense, pointing to claims of financial mismanagement when President-elect Donald Trump’s pick ran a pair of veterans’ groups.

Pete Hegseth, Trump's pick to run the Pentagon, saw little resistance from Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Pete Hegseth and other appointees of President-elect Donald Trump headed to the Senate this week for hearings. In particular Hegseth – tapped by Trump to lead the Department of Defense – faced scrutiny.

“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement. “The Trump Administration will not tie the hands of our brave law enforcement, and instead trusts them to use common sense.”

Democrats have expressed concern over the delay and how thorough the report on Trump’s embattled defense secretary pick will be.

Donald Trump blamed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky for Russia’s invasion of his homeland during the second part of his interview with Sean Hannity, which aired on Fox News last night.The president said Zelensky was “no angel” and had allowed the war to rumble on but added he would be prepared to impose massive tariffs on Moscow if Vladimir Putin refuses to enter talks on ending the conflict.

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.

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

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, paid $50,000 to the woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017, according to answers he provided to a senator during his confirmation process that The Associated Press has obtained.

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,