Tulsi Gabbard, a former U.S. Representative with little intelligence experience, should be confirmed as the top U.S. spy by Wednesday morning, as Republicans line up behind a nominee once seen as among President Donald Trump’s most controversial picks.
The Senate voted 52-46, along party lines, on Monday on a procedural measure to limit debate on the nomination, clearing the way for the 100-member chamber to vote on Gabbard’s confirmation to a position overseeing the 18-agency intelligence community.
A vote to confirm Gabbard would be another victory for Trump’s push to secure quick Senate approval for his nominees. The Senate’s Republican majority leader, John Thune, planned to start voting on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who also faced fierce opposition, immediately after the Gabbard confirmation vote.
With a snowstorm hitting the capital, the greatest uncertainty surrounding what was once considered Gabbard’s at-risk nomination was whether bad weather might delay the vote.
