12:30 Report — RFK Jr. hangs on; Tulsi Gabbard gets critical GOP ‘yes’

12:30 REPORT

It’s Tuesday. If you’re near the DMV, it may be beautiful and springlike, but do not trust it! In this edition:

RFK Jr. advances.
Tulsi Gabbard gets a critical “yes” vote.
Trump’s government purges
Trump and Netanyahu meet.

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, feedback & cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Someone forward this to you? Sign up.

🏁On Capitol Hill

Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!:

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully made it out of the Senate Finance Committee this morning, eking through in a party-line vote. And Tulsi Gabbard’s chances just increased after she got the support from a key Republican this morning.

First, Kennedy — why this is noteworthy: Just one Republican “no” vote would have tanked his nomination in committee. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) had serious doubts about Kennedy. He’s a medical doctor and was visibly agitated over Kennedy’s response to unfounded past claims linking autism to vaccines. Cassidy, who is up for reelection in 2026 in ruby-red Louisiana, ultimately voted “yes” to advancing the nomination. 🔎 Read Cassidy’s justification for his vote

This now sets Kennedy up for a full Senate confirmation vote.

Next, Gabbard — two biggies in one day: The Senate Intelligence Committee will vote at 2 p.m. on Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to serve as director of national intelligence. Like Kennedy, she cannot afford to lose a single Republican committee vote.

🚨 Gabbard just got an important ‘yes’ in her column: Republican Sen. Todd Young (Ind.), a former Marine who has been on the fence about Gabbard, just announced that he will vote “yes.” While Gabbard's refusal to label Edward Snowden (the ex-NSA contractor who leaked classified documents and fled the U.S.) a traitor, kept Young from fully supporting her, he ultimately came around.

Plus: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) had been on the fence about Gabbard but announced Monday that she *will* support Trump’s nominee.

Keep in mind: Beyond the committee vote, there are several GOP senators to watch if Gabbard’s nomination moves to a floor vote, including Sens. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and John Curtis (Utah).

Still, four Republican senators in total would need to break ranks in order for the nomination to fail.

🗨️ Follow today’s live blog

➤ HAPPENING ON WEDNESDAY:

The Senate has teed up a final vote on Pam Bondi’s nomination to lead the Justice Department for early Wednesday.

➤ TIDBIT:

Trump is inviting all Republican senators and their spouses to a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, reports Punchbowl News. 📸 The invitation

They may need a bigger chopping block:

President Trump is actively trying to dismantle several parts of the federal government.

First, USAID: His top target has been the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which facilitates humanitarian aid to developing countries and regions facing conflict.

What’s happening at USAID:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been put in charge of the agency while his team decides its fate.
Dozens of senior officials have been furloughed
Hundreds of contract employees have been laid off.
Employees have been told to stay home.

And now, the Education Department: Trump is reportedly drafting an executive order to slowly dismantle the Education Department, according to The Washington Post. Technically, only Congress can shut down the department (and that would be very unlikely), so the executive order would find ways to eliminate pieces of it. What’s happening at the Department of Education:

The Trump administration has already placed dozens of department staffers on leave.
Several Department of Government Efficiency staffers have access to the internal systems, including personal information for students receiving federal aid.

Plus, he’s purging the DOJ and FBI: The administration has fired dozens of Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI officials as part of its purge. What’s happening there:

The five highest career positions at the FBI have been fired, plus the heads of multiple field offices.
Those who worked on Trump’s two criminal prosecutions have been fired — and were escorted out of the building.
The agents and lawyers who charged the Jan. 6 defendants have been let go.

➤ TIDBIT:

Roughly 24,000 federal workers have taken the Trump administration’s buyout offer so far, reports NOTUS’s Reese Gorman.

The offer is good until Thursday, but this amounts to about 1 percent of the federal government. The administration was hoping 5-10 percent of workers would accept.

Trade war? That’s a March problem:

President Trump averted a trade war that he began, reaching deals with Canada and Mexico to delay the threatened 25 percent tariff against two of the U.S.’s biggest trading partners by another month.

Yes, but: Trump’s 10 percent tariff on all Chinese goods took effect at midnight.

What happened?: “Trump and his allies claimed victory after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to send 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in return for a monthlong delay of tariffs and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau promised to name a fentanyl czar and to establish a Canada-U.S. Joint Strike Force to fight organized crime, smuggling and money laundering.”

How is Washington feeling about all of this?: “But the sudden halt on major tariffs set to go into effect Tuesday left lawmakers on Capitol Hill with a sense of whiplash after watching financial markets yo-yo in response to the president’s rapidly evolving policy pronouncements. A sense of alarm spread among GOP lawmakers Monday morning after the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and NASDAQ plunged in premarket trading.”

Read Alexander Bolton’s reporting: ‘Trump’s tariff threats give Washington whiplash’

🎙️ Listen to today’s episode of NYT’s ‘The Daily’: ‘How North America averted a trade war, for now’

➤ READ MORE:

The Wall Street Journal: Inside the Chaotic Run-Up to Trump’s Tariff U-Turn
The New York Times: Trump Riles Washington as He Tries to Overthrow the Existing Order
The Washington Post: Red states, following Trump’s lead, pursue sweeping immigration measures
Axios: Trump's obsession: He can't quit bashing Biden
The Hill: 5 things to know about Trump’s plan to create a sovereign wealth fund

🐝 Internet Buzz

🍲 Celebrate: Today is National Homemade Soup Day.

🤵 Who’s headlining the WHCA dinner this year?: Comedian and writer Amber Ruffin is emceeing this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner on April 26. She works for CNN’s comedic news show “Have I Got News For You” and is a writer for “Late Night with Seth Myers.”

🧳 Just the vacation we all want: North Korea reopened to tourists just in time to celebrate the late leader Kim Jong Il’s birthday.

📆 On The Agenda

The House and Senate are in. President Trump and Vice President Vance are in Washington. (all times Eastern)

Noon: Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a joint news conference with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles. 💻 Livestream 📹 Watch Rubio land in Costa Rica
2 p.m.: Trump signs executive orders.
4 p.m.: Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office.
5:10 p.m.: Trump and Netanyahu hold a joint press conference. 💻 Livestream
6:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today’s agenda
Just announced — Feb. 10: Vance will travel to Europe for his first foreign trip since his inauguration.

👋 And Finally…

Let’s end this with some good vibes. We should all learn to share like these adorable buddies.

Stay Engaged

Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com. A friend forward this to you? Subscribe here.

View past issues of 12:30 Report here and check out other newsletters from The Hill here. See you next time!

Topics

Here are the Republicans to watch on Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr.

The Senate Finance Committee voted to advance RFK Jr.'s nomination to be HHS secretary, and Senate Intelligence Committee voted to advance Gabbard to be DNI.
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Here are the Republicans to watch on Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr.

Two Senate Committees are expected to vote on their nominations on Tuesday.
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Senators press Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel and RFK Jr. in confirmation hearings

Confirmation hearings for some of President Trump's Cabinet and administration picks were held Thursday on Capitol Hill. Senate Democrats and some Republicans pressed three of the president's ...
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Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, RFK Jr.: Latest confirmation vote count

Lawmakers are weighing the fates of some of President Trump’s most controversial cabinet picks including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel. As none are expected to get a single ...
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What to know about RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel's confirmation hearings

Three of President Trump's more controversial nominees for top government positions were on Capitol Hill Thursday for their confirmation hearings. CBS News' Meg Oliver and Nikole Killion have more.
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Breaking down the Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. hearings

Three Trump administration picks faced confirmation hearings Thursday on Capitol Hill: Kash Patel for FBI director, Tulsi Gabbard as the head of national intelligence and Health and Human Services ...
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Senate confirmation hearings for RFK Jr., Kash Patel and Tulsi Gabbard this week

Some of President Trump's most high-profile Cabinet picks are set to go before the Senate this week for their confirmation hearings. CBS News congressional correspondent Caitlin Huey-Burns has a ...
CBS News - Jan. 27

12:30 Report — RFK Jr. hangs on; Tulsi Gabbard gets critical GOP ‘yes’

12:30 REPORT

🏁On Capitol Hill

Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!:

➤ HAPPENING ON WEDNESDAY:

➤ TIDBIT:

They may need a bigger chopping block:

➤ TIDBIT:

Trade war? That’s a March problem:

➤ READ MORE:

🐝 Internet Buzz

📆 On The Agenda

👋 And Finally…

Stay Engaged

Topics

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Here are the Republicans to watch on Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr.

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Senators press Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel and RFK Jr. in confirmation hearings

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What to know about RFK Jr., Tulsi Gabbard and Kash Patel's confirmation hearings

Breaking down the Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. hearings

D.C. plane crash and Senate hearings for RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard: Morning Rundown

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