President-elect Trump's nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, is scheduled to meet with senators on Capitol Hill this week, beginning a confirmation process likely to be controversial due to the former congresswoman's past comments. It's planned.
Gabbard, a Democrat who served in the House of Representatives for eight years, is known for her 2017 trip to Syria for a visit with President Bashar al-Assad, her comments about dictators, and her comments on issues with Russia and Ukraine. It is attracting harsh attention. Those sympathetic to the Kremlin had questioned her ability to be confirmed by the Senate.
Her first conversation on Capitol Hill came days after Assad's regime collapsed at the hands of Syrian rebels, ousting the longtime dictator from Damascus and prompting celebrations in Syria. The surprising series of events puts Gabbard's past statements in the spotlight.
Also this week, President Trump's nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth returned to Capitol Hill, including another meeting with key lawmaker Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who has not yet endorsed the Senate. We plan to continue our talks with. After the former FOX News host.
In the House of Representatives, lawmakers will consider the annual defense bill after leaders unveiled a compromise bill over the weekend. And the debate over government funding will continue ahead of the Dec. 20 shutdown deadline.
gabbard on the hill
President Trump appointed Gabbard to lead the country's intelligence agency last month, praising the former Democrat and military veteran as a champion of constitutional rights and someone who used force to ensure peace.
But some of Gabbard's past statements have raised concerns among lawmakers, raising questions about whether she can muster enough support to be confirmed by the Senate.
For example, Gabbard has made statements sympathetic to the Russian government regarding the Russia-Ukraine war, and Russian state media has echoed this sentiment, praising Gabbard's nomination. In the Middle East, Gabbard visited Syria in 2017 and said Bashar al-Assad was not an enemy of the United States, but she later labeled him a “brutal dictator.”
Gabbard's stance on Russia and Syria is likely to come up in conversations with senators this week as Congress reacts to the fall of Damascus after rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad. But some Republicans have dismissed concerns.
“A lot has happened since 2017,” Sen. Mark Wayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said on CNN's “The Nation.” has changed,” he said. Union on Sunday.”
“She has permission. She can do her job,” he later added. “And I think she's 100 percent qualified to be the next Director of National Intelligence. She's a perfect fit for the position, so I'm excited about her opportunity.”
Hegseth reunites with Ernst
Mr. Hegseth is expected to continue meeting with senators this week, including another meeting with Mr. Ernst, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee who has emerged as a key voice in the nomination process for Pentagon chief. will also be included.
Although Ernst did not support Hegseth, I wrote to X She added on Friday that she and Hegseth had “a constructive conversation” and that the former Fox News host “deserves the opportunity to explain his vision for our nation's warfighters in a fair hearing.” Ta. This suggests the controversial approval process could drag on for several more weeks.
“I had another substantive conversation with Senator Ernst. I appreciate her honest commitment to defense policy and look forward to meeting with her again next week,” Hegseth said. said in X Friday.
Next week's follow-up meeting comes amid skepticism among Republican senators over Mr. Hegseth's allegations of sexual assault, excessive drinking and his comments that women should not serve in combat roles. be exposed.
Senate watchers have focused on Ernst, a military veteran and sexual assault survivor who has made combatting sexual assault in the military a top priority during her time on Capitol Hill.
With all Democrats expected to oppose the nomination, Mr. Hegseth can only lose three Republicans, making each Republican senator crucial.
After meeting with Hegseth last week, Fox News' Bill Hemmer told Ernst in an interview that it sounded like she hadn't reached a “yes,” but the senator said, “You're right. I think so.''
Meanwhile, Trump has renewed his support for Hegseth amid a tough confirmation battle. In an interview with NBC News' Kristen Welker for “Meet the Press” on Sunday, the president-elect said “Pete is doing well right now,” adding that he still has confidence in the candidate. Ta.
When asked if Mr. Hegseth would be confirmed, President Trump replied, “I think so.” “A lot of senators called me and said he was great.”
Houses that take up the NDAA
The House of Representatives this week is scheduled to consider the annual defense bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which must be passed and is traditionally a bipartisan bill that faces heightened partisan opposition this year. There is a possibility.
The announcement was made by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana). violate the NDAA Saturday night's event grossed $895.2 billion and will give junior enlisted men a 19.5 percent pay increase.
“This year's National National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will ensure our men and women in uniform have the resources and support they need to protect our great country,” Johnson said in a statement.
The NDAA is typically bipartisan, although it faces some opposition among liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans. Democrats are likely to oppose the bill en masse, as it includes a provision that would prohibit funding for Gender-affirming care for transgender children under 18 years of age.
said Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. break through the defense He said he doesn't know how he will vote this week, but said the transgender-related provisions “undermine the bill's bipartisan tradition.”
The House aims to advance the bill in its regular order. The Rules Committee is scheduled to meet on the bill on Monday and begin a floor vote later in the week.
But if Republicans object to the bill as not being conservative enough and vow to gut the procedural rules, forcing Republican leadership to move the bill under an immediate suspension of the rules, that plan could be halted. That may change. The path ahead may be unclear. If a majority of Democrats oppose the bill. It remains unclear how conservative Republicans will vote on the bill.
A two-thirds majority is required to pass a bill introduced under a suspended rule.
Government funding deadline is slowly approaching
All eyes will be on Congress this week to see if they release a plan to avoid a government shutdown ahead of the Dec. 20 funding deadline.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told reporters last week that the plan “could” be announced this week and that parliament was waiting for the document to be ready.
The bullying comes amid several unanswered questions about first aid, including how long it will last and what disaster relief will look like.
Leading lawmakers have introduced a short-term continuing resolution through March that would give both chambers more time to pass 12 spending bills, but would hinder Trump's early days in office. There are also risks. Johnson will also have to deal with new government funding deadlines if the two MPs who are leaving Congress to join the Trump administration win a zero-vote majority.
For his part, Mr Johnson brushed off concerns about funding for his first 100 days, telling reporters last week: “We can walk and chew gum at the same time.”
Meanwhile, disaster relief is poised to become a hotly contested issue in the House Republican conference, with leaders eyeing the possibility of spending money on a year-end stopgap.
The conservative House Freedom Caucus issued a public statement last week calling on Congress to offset the allocated disaster relief, but Johnson suggested it would be a difficult task in practice.
“Basically, I only want to do disaster relief that is necessary, and I understand that it costs a lot of money.Sure, I would like to do paid work, but it is difficult. That's true,” Johnson told reporters last week. “Compensation needs to be closely tied to the underlying bill, so we're trying to work it out. I've been talking to the Freedom Caucus, and I've literally texted a few people right now. So we are working on it and we will get it done.”
