The Senate Intelligence Committee will vote Tuesday on Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination for director of national intelligence, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The meeting, to be held in closed session, sets up a high-stakes day for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, will also receive a committee vote on Tuesday.
Both faced GOP skepticism in dual confirmation hearings on Thursday, with Gabbard’s refusal to call Edward Snowden, the U.S. intelligence contractor who leaked government secrets, a “traitor” putting her nomination on shakier ground.
Gabbard is generally seen as one of Trump’s most endangered nominees due to her perceived sympathy toward Russia and past opposition to a surveillance program that defense hawks consider essential to national security.
She now supports Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after calling it an example of “overreach” by the intelligence community.
The opposition to Kennedy centers predominantly on his vaccine skepticism, with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a doctor and chairman of the Senate’s health panel, viewed as the biggest holdout.
All Democrats on the Intelligence Committee are expected to oppose Gabbard’s nomination, meaning she can only afford to lose a single Republican vote to be reported to the Senate floor.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK), the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, announced his support for Gabbard ahead of her confirmation hearing, but several other Republicans are considered wildcards.
Trumpworld has begun to mount a lobbying campaign against possible “no” votes, with X CEO Elon Musk calling Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), one of the newest members of the panel, a “deep state puppet” over the weekend.
Musk retracted his statement after a phone call with Young, calling him a “great ally” in a subsequent post.
“Senator Young and Mr. Musk had a great conversation on a number of subjects and policy areas where they have a shared interest, like DOGE,” a Young spokesman told the Washington Examiner.
Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) are among those publicly undecided on Gabbard’s nomination.
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The committee vote comes as the Senate attempts to move quickly to approve Trump’s Cabinet picks. Five more could be in place by the end of the week, beginning with a Monday confirmation vote on Chris Wright to be energy secretary.
An unfavorable committee vote does not necessarily doom Gabbard’s prospects. Cotton can, in theory, send her nomination to the floor without a recommendation. She would only be able to lose three Republicans before the full chamber, however.