Gabbard clears key Senate hurdle with unanimous GOP support

Senators voted to advance Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to serve as director of national intelligence in a party-line vote Monday evening, setting the stage for a final confirmation vote later this week.

Having secured the support of 52 Senate Republicans, Gabbard, one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial Cabinet nominees, is on track to be confirmed as the nation’s top intelligence official in the coming days. Forty six Democrats in the chamber voted against Gabbard. Two senators were absent from the vote.

GOP Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — who had been seen as potential swing votes — voted to advance the nomination of the former Democratic lawmaker.

Monday’s vote was held under a procedural measure known as cloture, which has been invoked in regard to some of Trump’s more controversial Cabinet nominees, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Once passed, the measure allows for up to 30 hours of debate on a measure before a final vote can be held.

Gabbard passed out of the Senate Intelligence Committee in a party line vote following a contentious confirmation hearing at the end of January. Lawmakers from both parties quizzed Gabbard on her past remarks about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, her 2017 meeting with the former Syrian Dictator Bashar al-Assad and her views on a controversial government surveillance authority known as section 702.

In remarks ahead of Monday’s vote, Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee argued that Gabbard doesn’t have the judgement needed for the job, warning: “Nothing less than our national security is on the line.”

As Director of National Intelligence, Gabbard will oversee the 18 government agencies and components that make up the U.S. intelligence community, and will serve as the primary intelligence adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) spoke in favor of Gabbard’s nomination before the vote and criticized bureaucratic bloat at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was created in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks.

“I’m glad that Ms. Gabbard plans to focus on identifying and eliminating redundancies and inefficiencies to restore the office to what it was originally designed to do,” Thune said.

Topics

Senate Advances Gabbard, Signaling Quick Confirmation

The test vote indicated that despite early reservations even among some Republicans, the former Democratic congresswoman had the necessary support to be confirmed in a vote expected by Wednesday.
The New York Times - 4h
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 - 7h
Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's pick for top intelligence official, clears key Senate hurdle

The Senate voted to advance the nomination of Tulsi Gabbard to be President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence.
NBC News - 7h
RFK Jr. Made These Promises to Win Key Senator's Vote

This is a MedPage Today story. Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.), said he received numerous pledges from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Trump administration to protect medicine and science -- ...
ABC News - 1d
Senate tees up final vote on Tulsi Gabbard nomination to be nation's intelligence chief

The Senate voted largely along party lines Monday evening to advance Tulsi Gabbard's nomination to serve as President Trump’s director of national intelligence (DNI), putting her on a glide path to ...
The Hill - 7h
Live updates: Trump boosts steel, aluminum tariffs; Senate set to vote on Gabbard

President Trump announed 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum on Monday, adding that he would also kick off reciprocal tariffs in the days after. Trump said that the steel and aluminum tariffs ...
The Hill - 8h
House GOP divided on key issues as Senate moves forward on Trump agenda plan

House Republicans are divided over some of the thorniest issues at the center of their plan to pass President Trump’s legislative agenda, disagreements that are threatening to derail their timeline ...
The Hill - 8h
GOP Rep. Andy Barr to run for Mitch McConnell's Senate seat

McConnell is up for reelection in 2026, and he has not said whether he plans to run again for an eighth Senate term.
CBS News - 9h
GOP senators terrified of crossing Trump, facing Musk-funded challengers

GOP senators are terrified over the prospect of facing primary challengers funded by Elon Musk if they stick their necks out by opposing President Trump's agenda The White House has signaled that ...
The Hill - 20h