Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) said Sunday that she’s concerned about career opportunities for women under Trump Department of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth.
“I was at the Pentagon on Thursday, and there is absolute, like, hallway — constant chatter and conversation and concern from senior women officers,” Slotkin said on ABC’s This Week. “But also I’ve heard from folks who I’ve recommended to service academies, young women who are just starting out their career, saying, ‘Am I going to actually be able to accomplish what I want to accomplish here?’”
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Sen.-elect Elissa Slotkin says there is “concern from senior women officers” at the Pentagon over Fox News host Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the DOD due to his comments about women in combat roles.
“There’s real stress in the force right now.” https://t.co/pZvb6OIEJJ pic.twitter.com/2dUkniZmLd
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Hegseth has written and said in public appearances that he does not think women should be in combat roles, and show host Martha Raddatz asked how much power he would have if confirmed and if the statements affect the morale of women in the Pentagon.
Slotkin, a former DOD and CIA official, said Hegseth’s nomination was having an impact.
“I don’t think it’s an understatement to say that there is real stress in the force right now,” she said. “But there is a lot of power. The Secretary of Defense is designed to be a very important job. So who we put in there is extremely critical to our security and to who we are as a nation.”
Hegseth has emerged as one of many controversial appointments President-elect Donald Trump has made since winning the election earlier this month. He was investigated over a sexual assault case less than a decade ago, and has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
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Slotkin emphasized the Senate’s advise and consent function in the interview.
“I’m going to try and meet with everybody, hear them out. But I also am a former CIA officer and Defense Department official,” she said. “I know just how important these jobs are not just for who gets what in Washington, but for the actual security of people in the United States … you have to have the right character, you have to have the right qualifications. You have to go through an actual vetting process.”