Sen Joni Ernst from Iowa sat down for a second time with the defense secretary pick — a meeting that showed promising signs for the nomination. The quick-paced follow-up discussion (happening less than seven days after their first talk) focused on key military-related topics.
The republican senator‚ well-known for her hard-line stance on military sexual-assault prevention took time to share her thoughts: “Its means that weʼre having really good discussions‚ and we discussed several items that were really important to me“ The senatorʼs words hint at a possible shift from her earlier stand-offish position
The Iowa lawmaker — who previously showed hesitation about backing the nominee has now displayed a more open-minded approach after their in-depth conversations. Their latest meet-up gave both sides chance to work through various defense-related topics; including military personnel safety reforms and policy updates