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FILE - Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, talks after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, Sept. 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

FILE - Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, talks after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill, Sept. 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib, File)

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Defense secretary, arrives to meet with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Defense secretary, arrives to meet with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

FILE - Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks following the Senate Republican policy luncheon at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)

FILE - Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks following the Senate Republican policy luncheon at the Capitol in Washington, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr., File)

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Defense Secretary, gives a thumbs-up as he walks with his wife Jennifer Rauchet, left, to meet with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to be Defense Secretary, gives a thumbs-up as he walks with his wife Jennifer Rauchet, left, to meet with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)