12:30 Report — Tulsi Gabbard confirmed; Trump gives DOGE more power

12:30 REPORT

It’s Wednesday. MLB pitchers and catchers report today! That’s the first official sign that spring is on the way! Which gives me hope considering we have 8+ inches of fresh snow. ☃️ In this edition:

The Senate has confirmed Tulsi Gabbard.
House Republicans release blueprint for Trump’s agenda.
Senate plows ahead on own budget plan
Trump hands Musk even more power.
Snowy D.C. scenes.

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

🏁 On Capitol Hill

Meet your new US intel chief, Tulsi Gabbard:

The Senate just confirmed Tulsi Gabbard, one of President Trump’s most controversial Cabinet nominees, as the director of national intelligence.

The vote: 52-48. Former Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) was the only Republican to vote “no” on Gabbard.

What does the director of national intelligence do anyway?: They oversee 18 spy agencies and put together the president’s daily intelligence briefing.

Related, via The Washington Post: ‘Gabbard was a privacy hawk. Her views changed as Trump’s pick for DNI.’

Also on deck: The Senate will hold a vote to move along Robert F. Kennedy’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

🗨️ Follow today’s live blog for updates

Neither chamber wants the back seat:

House and Senate Republicans have been racing to lead the process to pass President Trump’s ambitious legislative agenda on Capitol Hill. There are updates in both competing efforts:

In the House: House Republicans released the text of their budget blueprint this morning. 🔎 Read House Republicans’ budget blueprint

Meanwhile, senators are gearing on for their own: Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is briefing Senate Republicans today on their plan to pass Trump’s agenda.

➤ 🦅 SPOTTED IN THE SENATE:

Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall (R) is wearing a Philadelphia Eagles jersey today. FYI: He’s a big Kansas City Chiefs fan. 📸 Note other senators laughing

^ He says he lost a bet to both Pennsylvania senators, per Semafor’s Burgess Everett.

➤ TIDBITS FROM A SNOWY D.C.:

📹 Sledding down Capitol Hill

📸 A snowy White House

D.C. got Jim Cantore!: Jim Cantore, the veteran meteorologist for The Weather Channel, reported live from Franklin Park in Washington last night during the snow storm! He described this storm as Washington’s “heaviest February snow in 10 years.” 📺 Watch the clip

^ Usually, it’s not a good thing if Jim Cantore is reporting live in your city during a weather event, but this was a good one!

📹 Students playing in the snow at Georgetown University

📸 Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others walking through the snow

On defense but leaning in even more:

President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk have been facing a slew of legal roadblocks to their sudden and massive overhaul of the federal government.

For example, federal judges have blocked three of his major executive actions:

Freezing of federal grants and loans
Dismantling of the U.S. Agency on International Development
Banning birthright citizenship for the children of some immigrants

🚨 And another fresh lawsuit this morning: Eight fired federal watchdogs are suing to get their jobs back after Trump ousted them.

But Trump is actually giving Elon even more power: Trump signed a new executive order Tuesday, directing federal agencies to involve the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to carry out workforce cuts and in their hiring decisions.

A surreal moment: Trump invited Musk to the Oval Office to stand alongside him from the resolute desk and defend his new DOGE.

“The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk said, defending DOGE. “That’s what democracy is all about.”

📸 Trump, Musk and Musk’s son

The Hill’s Alex Gangitano described the moment well: “Tuesday’s striking moment at the Oval Office featured the leader of the free world inviting the richest man in the world to give a defense of his goals in front of press brought in for the occasion. One of Musk’s young children pulled at his coat at times as the billionaire … argued the federal bureaucracy can’t have more power than any elected representative.”

How are Republicans feeling about these moves?: The Hill’s Alexander Bolton took the temperature of Senate Republicans — they want Trump to respect the rulings of the federal judges. From Bolton: “GOP lawmakers have been reluctant to criticize Trump’s actions, fearing it could make them targets for primary challenges next year. But they are growing increasingly worried about the nation plunging into a constitutional crisis if Trump ignores court orders halting his most aggressive actions.”

💡 Why this matters: Musk, who has only been in Trump’s orbit for roughly seven months and has very little experience in governing, has singlehandedly tried to dismantle major government agencies, buy out hundreds of thousands of federal workers and take over payment systems within the Treasury Department. While Capitol Hill Republicans won’t directly bash Trump or Musk, they’re concerned about a constitutional crisis over some of their moves.

➤ HAPPENING TODAY — THE HOUSE’S FIRST DOGE HEARING:

The House Oversight and Reform Committee’s Delivering on Government Efficiency panel is holding its first hearing today. The topic: Improper payments and fraud. 💻 Watch it live

➤ RELATED READS:

CNN: Inside the GOP’s careful pushback to Musk’s DOGE effort
The New York Times: Where Trump, Musk and DOGE Have Cut Federal Workers So Far
NPR: Elon Musk's DOGE takes aim at agency that had plans of regulating X
👍 Op-ed in The Wall Street Journal: DOGE Is Elon Musk’s Useful Experiment
👎 Op-ed in The Washington Post: Why DOGE is unconstitutional

🏁 On Capitol Hill

Inflation is a buzzing bee you can’t swat away:

Adding in January’s new consumer price figures, annual inflation for the past year hit 3 percent, slightly higher than economists’ expectations.

For context: January is the fourth consecutive month of inflation increasing. In September, it was at 2.4 percent.

🐝 Internet Buzz

🍮 Celebrate: Today is National Plum Pudding Day.

🏆Monty, you’re a star: A giant schnauzer named Monty won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Tuesday. 📸 A moment for Monty appreciation

📺 The post-Super Bowl controversy: Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) landed a Super Bowl ad that directed viewers to his website, Yeezy.com. Turns out, that website exclusively sold one thing: $20 T-shirts with a black swastika. Shopify took down the site, but it was online until Tuesday morning, per CNBC. Also, he has left the social platform X after making multiple antisemitic comments.

🪙 But now what will a thought cost?: Trump ordered the Treasury Department to stop making pennies, arguing the currency is wasteful.

📆 On The Agenda

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

1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream
2:30 p.m.: Trump signs executive orders.
4:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today’s agenda

👋 And Finally…

Because I always want you to leave this newsletter in a better mood than you started, how many peanuts do you think this chipmunk can fit in its mouth?

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

Mitch McConnell voted against Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation

Former Senate leader Mitch McConnell voted against Tulsi Gabbard during her confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence. This is not the first time McConnell has voted against one of ...
CBS News - 1h
Tulsi Gabbard confirmed as director of national intelligence

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell broke with his party to vote against her.
Politico - 5h
Senate advances RFK Jr’s nomination after confirming Tulsi Gabbard as Trump’s intelligence director – live

RFK Jr passes key step paving way for health job confirmation; vote passes despite Democrats’ concerns over ex-Democrat accused of pro-Russia stance. Gabbard confirmed as intelligence head ...
The Guardian - 2h
Tulsi Gabbard Confirmed by Senate for Top Intelligence Post

The success of one of President Trump’s more divisive cabinet candidates shows his domination over the Republican Senate.
The New York Times - 3h
Senate confirms Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence

Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump's pick to be director of national intelligence, was confirmed by the Senate in a 52-48 vote. CBS News' Taurean Small reports.
CBS News - 3h
Trump signs executive order giving DOGE more power, Elon Musk takes questions in Oval Office

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to give DOGE more power while tech billionaire Elon Musk spoke with reporters in the Oval Office. “We post our actions to the DOGE handle on X and ...
NBC News - 22h
With Elon Musk watching, Trump says he's giving DOGE even more power

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he was signing an executive order to give tech billionaire Elon Musk more power over the federal workforce, adding to Musk's swift and sweeping consolidation of ...
NBC News - 22h
Senate to vote on Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation for intelligence chief

The Senate advanced Gabbard's nomination in a party-line procedural vote Monday night, teeing up a vote on final passage.
CBS News - 1d
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick to oversee US spy agencies, advances to Senate confirmation vote

Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s pick to be director of national intelligence, is another step closer to Senate confirmation
ABC News - 1d