WATCH: Sen. Shaheen asks Hegseth why women in the military would trust him

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., questioned defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth about his stance on women in the military and suggested he had changed his position on the subject because he was facing scrutiny ahead of his Tuesday confirmation hearing.
“As recently as Nov. 7 of 2024, on the Shawn Ryan Show, you said, “I'm straight up saying that we should not have women in combat roles. It hasn't made us more effective,'" Shaheen said.
Hegseth responded that he appreciated the service of women but said "it’s not about the capabilities of men or women, it's about standards." He added that women "make amazing contributions across all aspects of our battlefield."
Shaheen said this contradicted Hegseth’s earlier statements.
“Why should women in our military, if you were the secretary of defense, believe that they would have a fair shot and an equal opportunity to rise through the ranks. If, on the one hand, you say that women are not competent, they make our military less effective, and on the other hand, you say, 'Oh no, now that I've been nominated to be the secretary of defense, I've changed my view on women in the military.'"
Hegseth is a military veteran and conservative media personality. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary has faced allegations of sexual misconduct and excessive drinking, and been criticized as a nominee for his controversial views on diversity and religion in the military.
Watch PBS News for daily, breaking and live news, plus special coverage. We are home to PBS News Hour, ranked the most credible and objective TV news show.
Newsletters: www.pbs.org/ne...
PBS News podcasts: www.pbs.org/ne...
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app: to.pbs.org/2Jb...
Find more from PBS News at www.pbs.org/ne...
Subscribe to our RUclips channel: bit.ly/2HfsCD6
Follow us: TikTok: / pbsnews
X (formerly know as Twitter): / newshour
Instagram: / newshour
Facebook: www.pbs.org/new...