Senator Schmitt Meets with President Trump’s Nominee for Department of Defense Pete Hegseth

WASHINGTON – Earlier today, Senator Eric Schmitt met with President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and released the following statement:

“It was great to sit down with Pete earlier today to talk about our shared priorities on how to best reform the Department of Defense and ensure that our military is laser focused on recruitment, preparedness, and lethality. Pete is a crucial part of President Trump’s reform agenda. Since I was sworn in as Senator, one of my top priorities has been removing divisive DEI policies from our nation’s military, and I’m proud of the items we’ve been able to tackle so far, including a permanent hiring freeze on all DEI positions in the military, the elimination of the Defense Advisory Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, and a prohibition of DEI commitments on DOD job applications. I also launched a Truman-style audit on DOD’s workforce. I look forward to working with Pete to completely eliminate DEI from our nation’s military, streamline the burdensome procurement processes, return our military to the greatest meritocracy on earth, and ensure that we’re prepared to take on the rise of China, our greatest adversary,” said Senator Eric Schmitt. 

A photo from the meeting can be found here.