Senators voted 51-49 to advance Hegseth's defense secretary bid, which has been mired in several controversies. Two Republicans oppose him.

The vote comes after the Senate narrowly advanced Hegseth's nomination to lead the Pentagon on Thursday, with two Republicans opposed to him.

Per a report obtained by The Associated Press, written answers regarding the payment were provided to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren in response to questions she had for Trump's defense secretary pick Pete Hegseth as part of the vetting process.

Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon endured fierce Democratic grilling over everything from his inexperience, alleged drinking and his past opposition to women in combat to emerge largely unscathed among Republicans at his confirmation hearing.

A Princeton and Harvard-educated former combat veteran, Hegseth went on to make a career at Fox News, where he hosted a weekend show. Trump tapped him as the defense secretary to lead an organization with nearly 2.1 million service members, about 780,000 civilians and a budget of $850 billion.

Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon, cleared a key procedural hurdle in the Senate on Thursday to advance his nomination.

Laura Petrillo still remembers a 2002 day on the Princeton campus when she got into a heated argument with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon. She was putting up posters by Princeton's Organization of Women Leaders ...

Hegseth failed to prove that he’s up for the job; Republican senators failed to do their jobs; and Trump failed to choose a qualified Pentagon nominee.

Will Hegseth get through? Pete Hegseth, current Fox News anchor and possible future defense secretary in the Trump administration, will face senators in his confirmation hearing later today.

Conservative organizations are targeting Republican senators, saying that they will pay a price if they do not back the president-elect’s choice for defense secretary.

Pete Hegseth’s Senate confirmation vote is scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday. In the hours beforehand, it remained unclear if he has enough Republican support.