Joni Ernst announced this week she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as the nation’s next secretary of defense, it underlined President-elect Donald Trump’s immense sway over Congress and the grassroots in Iowa as he returns to the White House.

The Iowa senator supports Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary, despite allegations of assault and drinking — but she doesn’t want to talk about it.

As a rape survivor and advocate for tackling sexual assault in the military, Ernst's support for Hegseth had seemed uncertain due to allegations of sexual assault against him.

Ernst, an Army veteran and rape survivor, had previously expressed concerns over Hegseth’s past comments about women in combat roles and the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against

Iowa's Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said Tuesday she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth to lead the U.S. Department of Defense, ending weeks of speculation about whether she would stand in opposition to President-elect Donald Trump.

Joni Ernst had been seen as a key hurdle to Pete Hegseth’s confirmation. She approached her questions firmly but without confrontation Tuesday.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) used her time at Pete Hegseth's Senate confirmation hearing to ask about Pentagon spending and Hegseth's views on women in the military.

Pete Hegseth’s nomination for secretary of the Defense Department has enough Republican support needed to clear the Senate Armed Services Committee after he picked up a key endorsement after his confirmation hearing.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) announced that he will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s pick for Defense Secretary, increasing the nominee’s chances of becoming the next head

Three days ahead of Trump’s return to the White House, many of his most prominent Cabinet choices have sailed relatively unscathed through their hearings and are poised to win confirmation as Republican senators rallied around them and appeared largely unwilling to defy Trump’s wishes.

Sen. Joni Ernst revealed she is officially supporting Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense after Tuesday's hearing.