Anti-establishment conservatives who opposed Thune for leader are satisfied but cautiously optimistic, as Trump turns up the pressure to confirm his nominees.

Even as handicappers adjudged Pete Hegseth ’s confirmation as secretary of Defense to be all but certain, not one but two Republican senators indicated a hard pass on the poorly qualified bad boy from Fox News.

Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) is new to the Senate — but is already seen as a decisive swing vote for Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to keep an eye on. Why it matters: Curtis does not think he fits neatly into the Utah senator categories of Mitt Romney or Mike Lee.

In a dramatic late-night session, the Senate is voting on the nomination of Pete Hegseth as defense secretary who vows to bring a “warrior culture” to the Pentagon despite questions over qualification

Pete Hegseth has vowed to bring his “warrior” ethos to the Pentagon. Democrats had assailed him as unfit for the job, and his confirmation came down to Vice President JD Vance serving as tiebreaker.

In the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski had openly challenged or rebuked him at least three times.

With his confirmation at stake, Pete Hegseth is working the phones ahead of a Senate vote to shore up support to become the nation’s defense secretary.

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

“Gone will be the days of woke distractions,” Thune said, referring to the diversity ... All but two Republicans, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, have stood ...

President Donald Trump has declared an all-out war on congressional power. And his allies on Capitol Hill aren’t doing much to fend off the invasion. From firing a slate of inspectors general to changing citizenship qualifications to delaying a ban on the TikTok app,

President Donald Trump has kicked off his second term with a flurry of executive actions on immigration, the economy, DEI and more.

Some GOP senators want public commitments from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. before deciding whether to support him as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, signaling that President Donald Trump’s pick will have to win over uncertain Republicans in order to secure the job.