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

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs in Iraq, talked to TIME ahead of Pete Hegseth's confirmation hearing about his opposition to women in combat roles

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.

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.

Hegseth responded at the heated Senate confirmation hearing that he couldn’t tell Duckworth the exact number of ASEAN nations, but that “I know we have allies in South Korea and Japan in AUKUS (a pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S.) with Australia.”