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.

Letters published Jan. 13-19, 2025, deal with state government and the resolution of Des Moines' Greenwood Park art installation saga.

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

Sen. Joni Ernst said she will vote to confirm Pete Hegseth as the next secretary of defense, making the controversial nominee's path to the helm of the Pentagon more likely.

WASHINGTON – Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, will vote for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, she announced Tuesday night after his first confirmation hearing. "He was ...

Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst confirmed her support for former Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of Defense late

On Monday, the night before hearings to confirm Pete Hegseth, Donald Trump’s embattled nominee for Secretary of Defense, were set to begin, The New Yorker reported that Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) — a key vote on the Armed Services Committee — had declined an offer to meet privately with the woman whom Hegseth paid to settle a sexual assault claim.

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.

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.

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

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.