New Army secretary Christine Wormuth can breathe a sigh of relief after the Senate confirmed her via unanimous consent Thursday morning. She is the first woman in U.S. history to ascend to the Army\u2019s top civilian post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Senate appeared to have confirmed her Wednesday night \u2014 until the body reversed her confirmation just hours later in an unusual development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CSPAN footage<\/a> of the proceedings showed Majority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announcing the reversal. Schumer\u2019s staff did not immediately respond to a request for clarification from Army Times, and the senator deleted a previous tweet hailing Wormuth\u2019s confirmation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wormuth had already acknowledged<\/a> her confirmation online Wednesday evening, saying she was \u201cso honored to be confirmed as Secretary of the Army\u201d in response to a friend\u2019s tweet. Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston had also shared<\/a> his congratulations with his new civilian boss as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wormuth faces difficult decisions from her first week onward, with the service bracing for potential cuts<\/a> in the fiscal year 2021 budget. President Joe Biden\u2019s administration is expected to release its official budget request<\/a> this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wormuth was nominated by Biden in April. She sailed through her May 13 confirmation hearing<\/a> with little controversy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wormuth, who most recently was the director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at Rand, had a deep background in defense policy work and public service. She also was a member<\/a> of the Biden administration\u2019s Pentagon transition team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She served as undersecretary of defense for policy \u2014 the Pentagon\u2019s top policy role \u2014 from 2014 to 2016 during the Obama administration. That stint came on the heels of a series of roles in the administration, including two years as deputy undersecretary of defense for strategy, plans and force development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wormuth, along with Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks<\/a>, is one of the most prominent faces in the Biden administration\u2019s efforts to increase the number of qualified women<\/a> in top national security positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n