The U.S. Senate has confirmed Tulsi Gabbard, former Hawaii congresswoman-turned-Texas resident, as the nation’s next director of national intelligence in a narrow 52-48 vote. Both Texas U.S. senators, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, voted in favor of her nomination.
Former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY) was the only Republican to vote against her confirmation.
Gabbard, who recently purchased a home near Austin, has undergone a political transformation in recent years. Once a candidate for the Democrat presidential nomination in 2020, she has since become an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, frequently criticizing the political establishment and the Biden administration.
Her confirmation marks another prominent appointment for a Texas resident in the federal government. Former Texas state lawmaker Scott Turner was recently confirmed as the secretary of housing and urban development, while former U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), who previously served as Trump’s director of national intelligence, has taken the helm at the CIA.
Meanwhile, Brooke Rollins, the former president of the Texas Public Policy Foundation and a key figure in Trump’s first-term policy team, is still awaiting Senate confirmation to serve as the secretary of agriculture.
Gabbard’s new role places her at the center of the nation’s intelligence community, where she will oversee agencies such as the CIA, NSA, and FBI.
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