Warren Slams Hegseth for Degrading Statements About Women in Combat
Warren: “I have serious concerns that your behavior toward women disqualifies you from serving in this role.”
Warren: “I've heard of deathbed conversions, but this is the first time I've heard of a nomination conversion…(I)f you can convert so rapidly your long-held and aggressively pursued views in just 32 days…maybe you’ll just reverse those views and go back to the old guy who said straight up, “women do not belong in combat.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned Peter B. Hegseth, nominee for Secretary of Defense, regarding his past statements about women in the military.
Mr. Hegseth would oversee about a quarter of a million women serving in active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Marines. Mr. Hegseth has said that allowing women to serve in combat roles would force the military to “lower the bar,” that women serving in combat would lead the military to “erod(e) standards,” that “women shouldn’t be in combat at all,” and wrote that “Men…are distracted by women.”
Just 32 days after the most recent of his degrading statements about women in combat roles, Mr. Hegseth declared that "some of our greatest warriors are women."
Senator Warren questioned the extraordinary about-face following his nomination by President-elect Trump.
“I've heard of deathbed conversions, but this is the first time I've heard of a nomination conversion,” said Senator Warren. “And I hope you understand that many women serving in the military right now might think that if you can convert so rapidly your long-held and aggressively pursued views in just 32 days, that 32 days after you get confirmed, maybe we'll just reverse those views and go back to the old guy who said straight up, ‘women do not belong in combat.”’
In his book War on Warriors, Mr. Hegseth wrote that, “No general in the United States military should be allowed to work in the defense industry for ten years after they retire.” Despite this, Mr. Hegseth declined to hold himself to the same standards if confirmed as Secretary of Defense, refusing to commit to not joining the defense industry following his exit from government service.
“In other words, you are quite sure that every general who serves should not go directly into the defense industry for 10 years, but you're not willing to make that same pledge?” Senator Warren said.
Senator Warren previously secured commitments from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III to not seek a position on the board of a defense contractor or become a lobbyist after his government service and from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. that he did not “intend to pursue opportunities in the defense sector or as a lobbyist” after leaving the military.
Transcript: Confirmation Hearing on the Expected Nomination of Mr. Peter B. Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense
Senate Armed Services Committee
January 14, 2025
Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Hegseth, thank you for your service. So, if you are confirmed as Secretary of Defense, you will oversee our military—including about a quarter of a million women who currently serve on active duty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Marines. And I have serious concerns that your behavior toward women disqualifies you from serving in this role.
Now, I’ve been trying to get answers from you about these issues for quite some time on this, and you haven’t wanted to meet or answer my questions. So we’ll just have to do it here and dive in.
I want to pick up on some of the questions asked by Senator Shaheen and Gillibrand and Hirono, and I just want to make sure we have a list of some of the facts that I think are undisputed. I'm not going to talk about anonymous sources, I'm just going to quote you directly. We've got the video. We've got it in print.
So, going back to January 2013, you told a Fox News interviewer that women in the military simply couldn’t measure up to men in the military, saying that allowing women to serve in combat roles would force the military to “Lower the bar.” You picked up on that theme in 2015 making remarks on Fox News, referring to women in combat as, it would “erode standards." June 2024, you said on Ben Shapiro's podcast, "Women shouldn't be in combat at all." And then of course we talked about it in 2024, you published a book, and you say on page 66 of your book “We need moms, but not in the military, especially in combat units.” Page 48 of your book you claim that women should not be in combat roles because “men…are distracted by women. And then 10 weeks ago you appeared on the Shawn Ryan show and said, “I'm straight up just saying we should not have women in combat roles.”
Now, I presume you recall making all the statements?
Mr. Peter B. Hegseth, nominee for Secretary of Defense: Senator, I'm not familiar with the article you're pointing to it 2013, but it underscores my argument completely—
Senator Warren: We’ve got the video.
Mr. Hegseth: Because I was talking about standards. Standards are what it has always been about, Senator. Always been about—
Senator Warren: Please, let's not have this same fight again. I've quoted you directly, we've got the video, we’re happy to show it. But I want to be clear here, for 12 years you were quite open about your views and your views were consistently the same. Women are inferior soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and guardians, and in case anyone missed the point, these are your words from 10 weeks ago, “Women absolutely straight up should not be permitted to serve in combat.” And I notice on each of these quotes, those are set without qualification. It's not by how much you can lift or by how fast you can run, “They don't belong in combat, period,” were your words, “straight up”.
And then on December 9, 2024, just 32 days after your last public comments saying that women absolutely should not be in combat, you declared that "Some of our greatest warriors are women,” and you support having them serve in combat.
Now that is a very, very big about-face in a very, very short period of time. So help me understand, Mr. Hegseth, what extraordinary event happened, in that 32 day period, that made you change the core values you had expressed for the preceding 12 years?
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, again, I very much appreciate you bringing up my comments from 2013 because for me, this issue has always been about standards. And unfortunately because of some of the people that have been in political power for the last four years, priorities other than standards, lethality, and meritocracy have driven decision making.
Senator Warren: Excuse me, Mr. Hegseth. Let's just stop, let's just stop right there. Mr. Hegseth, I'm quoting you from the podcast, “Women shouldn't be in combat at all.” Where are your references to standards? That they should be there if they can carry, if they can run? I don't see that at all, Mr. Hegseth. What I see is that there is a 32 day period, in which you suddenly have another description about your views of women in the military and I just want to know what changed in the 32 days? The song you sang is not the song you come in here today to sing.
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, the concerns I have, and the concerns that many have had, especially in ground combat units, is that in pursuit of certain percentages or quotas, standards have been changed, and that makes combat more difficult for everybody involved.
Senator Warren: So, let me make a suggestion about what happened in those 32 days, you got a nomination from President Trump. I've heard of deathbed conversions, but this is the first time I've heard of a nomination conversion. And I hope you understand that many women serving in the military, right now, might think that if you can convert so rapidly your long-held and aggressively pursued views in just 32 days, that 32 days after you get confirmed, maybe you’ll just reverse those views and go back to the old guy who said straight up, “Women do not belong in combat.”
Now Mr. Hegseth, you've written that after they retire, generals should be banned from working for the defense industry for 10 years. You and I agree on the corrosive effects of the revolving door between the Pentagon and defense contractors. It’s something I would have liked to talk to you about if you had come and been willing to visit with me. But the question I have for you on this is, will you put your money where your mouth is and agree that when you leave this job you will not work for the defense industry for 10 years?
Mr. Hegseth: Senator, it's not even a question I've thought about. Because it’s not one—
Senator Warren: You can think about it right now.
Mr. Hegseth: It’s not one—my motivation for this job has never been what could conceivably come next—
Senator Warren: I understand that. I just need a yes or no here. Time is short. I just need a yes or no.
Mr. Hegseth: I would consult with the president about what the policy should be at the Defense Department.
Senator Warren: In other words, you are quite sure that every general who serves should not go directly into the defense industry for 10 years, but you're not willing to make that same pledge?
Mr. Hegseth: I'm not a general, Senator.
Senator Warren: Let us just be clear, you will be the one in charge of the generals. So, you are saying sauce for the goose, but certainly not sauce for the gander.
Mr. Hegseth: I would want to see what the policy looks like.
Senator Warren: Oh, I bet you would.
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