Vice President JD Vance is in Europe this week for an AI summit in Paris and a security conference in Munich.
Amid looming confirmation votes for Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., this may seem like a poor time for Vance, who would be required to cast a tiebreaking vote in the Senate, to travel out of the country.
Gabbard, President Donald Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence, is set for a full Senate vote Tuesday. Kennedy, Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, will undergo a Senate cloture vote as soon as Gabbard’s vote finishes.
Vance has already had to rescue one of Trump’s nominees, casting the tiebreaking vote for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after three Republicans broke ranks.
Indeed, both Gabbard’s and Kennedy’s committee votes passed along party lines, indicating close upcoming votes in the Senate. And with Vance in Europe, Gabbard and Kennedy can only afford to lose two Republican votes to ensure confirmation.
Gabbard has already cleared one major hurdle on the path to confirmation, passing a Senate cloture vote 52-46 yesterday.
Kennedy’s fate, however, is more of an unknown. He won over previous skeptics such as Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) during his committee hearings and passed a procedural vote along party lines, suggesting future success. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who voted against the Hegseth confirmation and is seen as a swing vote, also said she would vote for Kennedy.
Vance’s trip indicates that Trump has likely secured enough Senate votes to confirm both nominees. After the procedural votes for both candidates, there are indications that both will receive the necessary votes for confirmation. The president would be unlikely to send his VP to overseas conferences if there were any doubt in the confirmation votes.
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Democrats’ continued delay regarding the votes also indicates that Gabbard and Kennedy have enough support. If Vance were the key vote in the process, Democrats would likely want to push the vote through before he returns.
Vance’s sudden visit to Europe may be a source of worry to some, given the weight of Gabbard’s and Kennedy’s confirmations. The trip, however, reflects an increased confidence that Trump has sufficient Senate votes to confirm both nominees by Wednesday evening.