US Senate confirms Driscoll as Army secretary

PHOTO CAPTION: Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll speaks during his Senate confirmation hearing, Jan. 30, 2025. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -     The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Daniel Driscoll, an Iraq war veteran and advisor to Vice President JD Vance, as Secretary of the Army.

The Senate voted 66 to 28 to confirm Driscoll, who served in the Army for 3-1/2 years, including a deployment in Iraq from October 2009 to July 2010. Several Democrats joined Republicans in backing President Donald Trump's nominee.

After leaving the military, Driscoll attended Yale Law School, where he met Vance, and worked in finance. He also launched an unsuccessful bid for a North Carolina House of Representatives seat in 2020.

Driscoll's largely calm confirmation hearing steered clear of the culture war issues roiling politics in Washington, as  Trump's Republicans vow to eliminate diversity initiatives in government.

 (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)