Pete Hegseth came under fire from senators from both parties for weighing his nomination to head the Defense Department because of his past comments about women in the military, putting the first of Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks on the defensive.

Hegseth has faced a number of controversies in recent weeks, including alleged Womanizing, sexual misconduct, inappropriate alcohol consumption and allegations of financial mismanagement. During a contentious hearing on Tuesday, he clarified his previous comments, telling the Senate Armed Services Committee that he would work to eliminate “wokeness” within the military and vowing to “restore the warrior ethos at the Pentagon.”

As Hegseth sought to convey confidence and clarity about his vision for the U.S. military, some of the most pointed questions came from within his own party. One skeptical Republican was Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, whose vote on the Armed Services Committee could well decide the fate of Hegseth, a 44-year-old former Fox News host and National Guard veteran. Ernst, a former Army National Guard commander and sexual assault survivor, has expressed concern about Hegseth’s leadership experience and his past comments about women in combat.

In a conversation with Ernst, Hegseth appeared to walk back his previous stance on women serving in combat roles – a position that has already sparked backlash within and outside the military. He was pressed by Ernst and several Democratic members of the committee about those comments, which he now claims were “misconstrued.”

Hegseth wrote in his 2024 book that women should be “life givers” and not take on combat roles. “Fathers push us to take risks. Mothers put the training wheels on our bikes. We need mothers. But not in the military, especially not in combat units,” he wrote. Currently, 18% of the military is made up of women. When asked by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, a Democrat, whether he thought the two women on the committee who served in the military – Sens. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and Ernst – had made the military less effective Hegseth: “No, these are their contributions.” indispensable. My comments are about having the same standards everywhere.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, a Democrat on the committee, said his comments about women were a “stupid statement” and “below the office” of the defense secretary. “You have to change the way you see women to do this job well, and I don’t know if that’s possible,” she said. Later, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a Democrat, questioned his apparent recent change of heart on women in combat and asked how women can be sure he won’t change his mind again once she’s confirmed. “I’ve heard of deathbed conversions, but this is the first time I’ve seen a nomination conversion,” she said.

Read more: Pete Hegseth’s role in Trump’s controversial pardons of men accused of war crimes

Hegseth can only lose a single Republican vote on the Senate Armed Services Committee if all Democrats oppose him. If he manages to get the full Senate vote, Hegseth can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes if all Democrats vote against him. Hegseth met with only one Democrat before the hearing – Sen. Jack Reed of Delaware, the top Democrat on the committee. Several Democrats criticized him for not arranging meetings with them.

For many on the committee, it wasn’t just Hegseth’s views on gender and military service that raised questions. Past Personal allegations — including sexual assault, alcohol on the job and allegations from former colleagues that he mismanaged the veterans organizations he led — remained key concerns. Hegseth called the allegations a “coordinated smear campaign” and said the media was “out to destroy me… because I am a change agent.” He previously admitted that he told a woman who met him at a Republican convention in 2017 accused of sexual assault, paid an undisclosed sum. No charges were ever filed against Hegseth in the incident. At Ernst’s urging, Hegseth said he would appoint a senior official to work on sexual assault prevention in the military.

“I’m not a perfect person,” Hegseth said. “But redemption is real.”

At the hearing, Democrats also scrutinized Hegseth’s qualifications to lead the Pentagon, particularly given his relative lack of experience running large, bureaucratic organizations. Reed, the top Democrat on the committee who voted for Trump’s pick as defense secretary in the president-elect’s first term, questioned Hegseth’s ability to oversee the vast U.S. military apparatus. Other Democrats pointed out that his management experience pales even in comparison to mid-level civilian managers at private sector companies, let alone that of the head of one of the world’s largest institutions.

“I don’t think there’s a board in America that would hire you as CEO with the experience you have on your resume,” said Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan, a swing-state Democrat running for re-election pending. election and seems to be a no to Hegseth. “Do you believe that the minimum standards of the people who serve us can be raised by lowering the standards of the Secretary of Defense that we have someone who has never led an organization with more than 100 employees?”

Reed added that he had reviewed the allegations against Hegseth and concluded that the alleged conduct “would disqualify any service member from holding a leadership position in the military.”

“You lack the character, composure and competence to hold the position of your defense,” Reed said.

In response, Hegseth highlighted his military service, his leadership in the National Guard and his work with veterans organizations, but also emphasized his role as a critic of the military establishment and an advocate for reform.

Read more: ‘Not qualified’ and ‘out of touch’: Combat veteran Tammy Duckworth on why she’s opposing Pete Hegseth’s nomination

“It is true that I do not have a biography similar to that of the defense secretaries of the last 30 years,” Hegseth said in his opening speech. “But President Trump also told me that we have repeatedly put people with supposedly ‘real qualifications’ at the top of the Pentagon – be they retired generals, academics or defense contractor executives – and where has that gotten us?”

“It’s time to put someone with dust on their boots in charge,” he added. “A change agent. Someone who has no vested interest in particular companies, particular programs, or approved narratives.”

If confirmed, Hegseth would oversee more than 3 million military and civilian personnel around the world, the U.S. nuclear arsenal and an annual budget of more than $800 billion. He is expected to lead the country’s military as the U.S. faces threats from Russia, China, Iran and adversaries around the world.

Some citizens also expressed their opposition to Hegseth’s nomination on Tuesday. Four people, one of whom was wearing a Vietnam veteran’s hat, were excluded from the hearing within the first minutes of Hegseth’s opening statement. At least three protested against Hegseth’s stance on the war in Gaza. When Hegseth was later asked by Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas to address the protesters and clarify his stance on the war between Israel and Hamas, he said he supported “Israel’s killing and destruction of every last member of Hamas.”

Hegseth also addressed diversity and inclusion policies, arguing that they “divide” the troops and that the military should put “meritocracy” first.

When asked by Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, a Democrat on the committee, whether he would use the military to take over Greenland or the Panama Canal, as Trump indicated in a press conference on January 7, Hegseth replied that he would never publicly accept his hand betrayed military plans.

It’s not yet clear whether Hegseth will have the support of every Republican on the committee – or in the upper house. Some Republican senators — including Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — were noncommittal about his nomination.