Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, President Donald Trump's choice to be the Director of National Intelligence, appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee for her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill, Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP)
This will set Gabbard up for a final confirmation vote on Wednesday at the earliest, when the 30 hours of debate expire.
The nominee advanced out of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence last week, snagging the support of crucial GOP Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Todd Young, R-Ind.
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Tom Cotton carried out a calculated effort to get Tulsi Gabbard past the Intel committee. (Reuters/Getty Images)
In a final vote, Gabbard can only lose 3 Republican votes, assuming she does not get any Democratic support, as was the case in the committee vote.
She already has an advantage over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as Collins supports her. The senator was one of three votes against Hegseth.
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Hegseth was confirmed after Vance cast a tie-breaking vote. (Tom Williams)
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Despite the limited votes Gabbard can afford to lose, Republicans appear to be confident about her odds. This was signaled through the White House dispatching Vance to Europe for events and meetings during the time of Gabbard's cloture and confirmation votes. If Republicans expected to need Vance to break a tie in the upper chamber, they likely would not have slated her vote for this week.
Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner.
Follow Julia's reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to Julia.Johnson@fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/tulsi-gabbard-faces-next-test-confirmation-battle-key-senate-hurdle