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.

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst announced that she would vote for Pete Hegseth to become Defense Secretary, making his path to Senate confirmation much easier.

Donald Trump's pick for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, is facing stiff criticism from Democrats—but most Republicans back him.

The Iowa Republican’s decision dramatically increases the likelihood that Mr. Hegseth will have enough votes to be confirmed as President-elect Donald J. Trump’s defense secretary.

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

Pete Hegseth's path to becoming Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense looks much clearer now that Sen. Joni Ernst says he'll support his bid. But what did his contentious confirmation hearing tell us about the fate of Trump's other controversial picks for his administration?

Senator Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) quietly scored an early victory for those seeking to make the federal government more efficient under President-elect Donald Trump. Ernst secured a requirement in the Water Resources Development Act of 2024 to have the General Services Administration sell off the Wilbur J.

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.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) threw her support behind Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hegseth on Tuesday hours after President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon was grilled by senators ...

GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, a key vote on Pete Hegseth's confirmation as secretary of defense, said Tuesday she is supporting his nomination.

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.

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.