Heather Wilson, a former New Mexico congresswoman and Air Force veteran, was approved a month ago by a Senate committee, and if confirmed by the full chamber, could be the first administration appointee to take a seat at the Pentagon since Defense Secretary Jim Mattis was confirmed in January.
The Trump administration has been slow to fill seats and some other defense nominees have dropped out after being unable to clear ethics hurdles.
Wilson, who represented New Mexico in the House for a decade, faced pointed questions from Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee about payments she accepted from the country's contractor-run nuclear laboratories after she left Congress.
Inspector general reports found the payments were not properly documented, but Wilson told lawmakers she did nothing improper and was paid for consulting work performed.
Wilson graduated from the Air Force Academy and was a Rhodes scholar. Since 2013, she has been the president of South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, a university that provides engineering and science degrees.
As part of her ethics agreement, Wilson agreed to quit the university job and divest from a raft of Defense Department contractor stocks.
