Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy supports Hegseth for Pentagon leadership under Trump.

Another key vote for confirmation as President-elect Trump's secretary of defense has been obtained by Pete Hegseth.

On Friday, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., announced that he will vote to confirm Hegseth, an Army combat veteran whose nomination was in doubt due to his comments questioning women's roles in the military, sexual misconduct allegations, and claims of drinking alcohol while working previous jobs.

This week, Hegseth faced the Senate Armed Services Committee with minimal damage as lawmakers posed questions to him.

"Cassidy stated that he will vote for the confirmation of Mr. Hegseth, who has impressive academic qualifications, conducted himself well in the Senate Armed Services hearing, and has a commendable record of service in uniform. He assured me he will surround himself with a strong support team."

Joni Ernst, an Iowa senator, has expressed support for Hegseth's nomination.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., stated that Hegseth's confirmation hearing was successful.

At the time, Tuberville stated that they attempted to unsettle him by bringing forth unidentified accusations. Despite this, he was prepared to respond to each allegation.

After interrupting the hearing, protesters were removed in zip ties during the proceedings.

Hegseth faced questioning from democratic lawmakers regarding his stance on women in combat roles, to which he responded by emphasizing that his argument centered on maintaining military standards rather than undermining them.

"He informed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., that he has always respected women serving in the military and that his critiques were based on instances where he saw standards lowered."