Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth's announcement followed a heated exchange with Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing earlier this week.

Republicans appear poised to confirm Trump’s controversial nominee to lead the government’s largest and most complex agency

During Tuesday's confirmation hearing, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois told defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth that she doesn't believe he is qualified for the job. Sen. Duckworth is a former Army helicopter pilot who lost her legs in a crash while serving in Iraq and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Many Republican senators have lamented the fact that the Pentagon has repeatedly failed financial audits, but Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D., Ill.) focused on Pete Hegseth’s lack of experience with audits at two veterans organizations he led.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) continued her attacks on President-elect Donald Trump’s defense secretary nominee, Pete Hegseth, during an appearance on The View, saying he is not qualified for the job. ABC News’s The View co-host Sara Haines asked the Illinois senator about Hegseth’s previous comments about women serving in combat and how it could lead

A senator told Hegseth: "I suggest you do a little homework before you prepare for these types of negotiations."

While women have earned their place in their units, "You have not earned your place as secretary of defense," Duckworth said.

In a heated Senate confirmation hearing for Pete Hegseth, Sen. Tammy Duckworth grilled the proposed defense secretary over the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, asking him if he could name one member and how many countries were in the bloc.

During his confirmation hearing, Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee couldn’t name a single member of the Southeast Asian bloc.

Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth fails to correctly name members of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, when faced with questions on national security negotiations from Senator Tammy Duckworth,

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Monday said President-elect Trump’s nominee for Defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, is “vulnerable” to blackmail from U.S. foreign adversaries and reiterated her