Tillis: Hegseth faces ‘a reckoning’ in lame-duck session of Congress

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faces “a reckoning” in the post-election lame-duck Congress and questioned whether President Trump will be able to get the Pentagon funded if Hegseth remains in his job.

“Hegseth has a reckoning,” Tillis told CBS News . “He is one of the reasons why we don’t have the funding or guarantee for defense that we need.

“I think after the election, we need to determine whether or not he’s the best person to bring those needs to Congress. If he wants something done before the end of this Congress, which is only 60 days away.”

Democrats have threatened to block the $70 billion in emergency defense funding the Trump administration requested of Congress in June as well as the annual Defense appropriations bill, to fund the Pentagon through fiscal 2027, while the nation is still embroiled in a military conflict with Iran.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told The Hill in September that Hegseth’s departure would help Democratic and Republican lawmakers reach bipartisan deals on defense matters.

Hegseth could face an impeachment vote in the House later this month or in December.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie (Ky.) has warned he will push for a vote on articles of impeachment against Hegseth when Congress reconvenes in Washington next week.

Tillis, who cast the pivotal vote to confirm Hegseth in January 2025, now says that vote is the “biggest regret of my career.”

The North Carolina senator has emerged as a forceful critic of the Pentagon chief and has often criticized him for ousting senior and experienced military leaders at the Defense Department and often disregarding their advice.

He urged Trump to fire Hegseth last month.

“I have never witnessed more inept management of the brave men and women who serve our country. He is intimidated by competence and retreats to ginning up culture wars instead of soberly attending to the vital work of our national defense and the health and well-being of our fighting force,” Tillis posted on the social platform X last month.

“I urge the president to find a new leader at the Pentagon who will retain and empower our military talent rather than diminish it,” he said.