<a class="post__byline-name-unhyphenated" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/author/erica-r-hendry" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemprop="author"> <span itemprop="name">Erica R. Hendry</span> </a> <a class="post__byline-name-hyphenated" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/author/erica-r-hendry"> Erica R. Hendry </a> <br>Leave your feedback<br>Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., told Trump defense secretary nominee <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/takeaways-from-pete-hegseths-confirmation-hearing">Pete Hegseth</a> during his Tuesday confirmation hearing that she did not believe he was qualified to do the job.<br><strong>Watch the video in the player above.</strong><br>“This hearing now seems to be a hearing about whether or not women are qualified to serve in combat. And not about whether or not you are qualified to be secretary of defense. And let me just say that the American people need a secretary of defense who’s ready to lead on day one. You are not that person,” she said.<br>Duckworth asked Hegseth about whether he’d led an audit or international security negotiations. She suggested he was asking the committee to lower their standards for defense secretary because he was “buddies” with President-elect Donald Trump.<br>Responding to Hegseth’s past comments questioning women in the military and in combat roles, she said “there is no U.S. military as we know it” without them.<br>While women have earned their place in their units, “You have not earned your place as secretary of defense,” Duckworth added.<br>“You say you care about keeping the armed forces strong … then let’s not lower the standards for you,” she said.<br><span>By</span> Molly Finnegan<br><span>By</span> Kenichi Serino<br><span>By</span> PolitiFact staff<br><span>By</span> Lisa Mascaro, Tara Copp, Associated Press<br> <a class="post__byline-name-unhyphenated" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/author/erica-r-hendry" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/Person" itemprop="author"> <span itemprop="name">Erica R. Hendry</span> </a> <a class="post__byline-name-hyphenated" href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/author/erica-r-hendry"> Erica R. Hendry </a> <br>Erica R. Hendry is the managing editor for digital at PBS NewsHour.<br> <span>Support Provided By:</span> <a href="https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/5000677869" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more</a> <br>Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else.<br>Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.<br>© 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved.<br>PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.<br>Sections<br>About<br>Stay Connected<br>Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins<br>Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm.<br>Learn more about Friends of the News Hour.<br>Support for News Hour Provided By<br><br><a href="https://news.google.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?oc=5">source</a>
