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.

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

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

Joni Ernst had been seen as a key hurdle to Pete Hegseth’s confirmation. She approached her questions firmly but without confrontation Tuesday.

Ernst, an Army veteran and rape survivor, had previously expressed concerns over Hegseth’s past comments about women in combat roles and the allegations of sexual misconduct leveled against

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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.