The Senate confirmed pro-Trump businessman John Phelan to be the Secretary of the Navy in a bi-partisan vote.
The final vote was 62-30, with 11 Democrats joining all 51 Republicans who voted on the nomination. Even Jack Reed (D-Rd.), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services committee, voted yes after expressing some doubts about Phelan's experience.
The Harvard Business School graduate is the founder and chairman of the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC, and previously was the co-founding partner and chief investment officer of MSD Capital, the private investment firm for tech billionaire Michael Dell, founder of Dell Technologies.
Phelan, an experienced businessman, presented himself as an outsider who would make necessary reforms to the Navy.
“The U.S. Navy is at crossroads, with extended deployments, inadequate maintenance, huge cost overruns, delayed shipbuilding, failed audits, subpar housing, and, sadly, record-high suicide rates,” he told he told the Senate Armed Services Committee in February.
A handful of Democrats questioned Phelan's readiness for the role, but his hearing was far from contentious.
"You're a nontraditional appointee for this position, and that can be OK if the tradition is not working," Democratic Senator Tim Kaine (Va.) said.
Ranking member Jack Reed - who ultimately voted for Phelan - initially expressed doubts about his ability to manage a complex military organization like the Navy.
Phelan said it was time to try a new approach.
“The Navy and the Marine Corps already possess extraordinary operational expertise within their ranks. My role is to utilize that expertise and strengthen it to step outside the status quo and take decisive action with a results-oriented approach,” he said.
Pentagon secretary Pete Hegseth was among those who congratulated Phelan on getting the job.
"Congratulations John Phelan on being Confirmed as the 79th Secretary of the Navy! Looking forward to supporting our warfighters together," Hegseth said.
Phelan's confirmation comes after a Navy aircraft carrier was damaged in a collision with a merchant vessel last month. In a previous concerning incident, a pair of Navy Pilots were shot down over the Red Sea by friendly fire.
During his confirmation hearing, Phelan told the Senate that President Trump is particularly concerned about the condition of the Navy's fleet. Phelan said Trump texts him in the middle of the night with pictures of rusty warships.
“The president has been very consistent when he spoke with me: shipbuilding, shipbuilding, shipbuilding,” Phelan said.
