Tulsi Gabbard and RFK Jr. both could still be confirmed to join President Donald Trump’s team. However, their confirmations are currently facing some problems.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) -- Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation hearings for the Trump administration are currently delayed.
However, at least Gabbard, nominated for the director of national intelligence, appears to have a good chance of being confirmed.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) said Gabbard must still turn in her "paperwork" but that he wants to see the Democrat-turned-Republican confirmed.
CBS News reported that Barrasso "is not concerned about having enough support for Gabbard's confirmation."
"She continues to have promotions in the military. She's a lieutenant colonel. She now has top level security clearances," Barrasso told CBS News' "Face the Nation.""She's the right person to keep America secure and safe," Sen. Barrasso said.
Gabbard previously served in Congress as a Democrat and supported socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 run for president, before running in the 2020 Democratic Party primaries. During the race, she supported minimal limits on abortion, but that made her the least pro-abortion candidate in the race, as many, if not all the other candidates, supported abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
However, she has since declared herself a Republican, campaigned for Trump, and won support from some conservatives for her criticism of pediatric surgical and chemical gender mutilation. Gabbard is also less hawkish and opposes endless foreign wars.
She won the support of one skeptical Republican, Sen. James Lankford, after she said she supports the U.S. government being able to spy on non-U.S. citizens abroad.
"Section 702, unlike other FISA authorities, is crucial for gathering foreign intelligence on non-U.S. persons abroad,” she said in a recent statement, as reported by the New York Post. “This unique capability cannot be replicated and must be safeguarded to protect our nation while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans.”
Lankford of Oklahoma previously had questioned Gabbard's view on this program but said he is now satisfied with her response.
"Yeah, I am," the senator told "Meet the Press" on Sunday, when asked if he was a yes vote for Gabbard.
"Obviously she voted against 702 authority. And just to clarify that, that authority is for actually trying to be able to track terrorists overseas," the Oklahoma Republican said. "That has nothing to do with American citizens or anything that’s happening in the United States."Sen. Mike Rounds said he thinks she will be confirmed, according to The Hill. The Senate Intelligence Committee member made the comments even prior to Lankford's endorsement.
"I think she’s a very quick study. I think she’s very bright, and I think the challenge for her will be in … an open discussion, will be showing the expertise that she needs. And I think she’s well on her way, so I’m optimistic that she’ll be successful," he previously told The Hill.
RFK confirmation hearing also delayedPresident Donald Trump's nomination for Secretary of Health and Human Services is also facing a delay.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s appointment has faced criticism from some Republicans due to the nominee's liberal positions on abortion. However, some of those concerns were reportedly alleviated after he met with pro-life senators, including Josh Hawley of Missouri, as previously reported by LifeSiteNews.
Kennedy, like Gabbard, is a lifelong Democrat who attracted attention from conservatives for his criticism of COVID lockdowns, Big Pharma, and the military-industrial complex. The conservative Heritage Foundation is currently running ads in support of his confirmation, based on his promise to shake up the scientific and medical establishment.
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said he is skeptical of Kennedy's nomination. The Republican claimed Kennedy's skepticism of vaccine safety is one reason he might not support him, according to NPR.
On the other hand, the establishment, Trump-critical Dispatch reports that RFK may not face problems getting confirmed.
It reported that Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, both liberal and pro-abortion Republicans, might oppose him. Sen. Mitch McConnell may also be a no vote on Kennedy.
However, both Sens. Bernie Sanders and John Fetterman have expressed openness to voting for RFK.
“I think what he’s saying about the food industry is exactly correct,” Sanders, a socialist senator from Vermont, previously told CBS News. “I think you have a food industry concerned about their profits, could care less about the health of the American people. I think they have to be taken on.” He criticized RFK's views on vaccines, however.
Conservative Republican Bob Good, the former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, said he has concerns about the HHS nominee.
"There are a lot of reasons for conservative Republican senators to oppose RFK Jr for HHS secretary," Good wrote on X on January 10.
Kennedy needs 51 votes to be confirmed, one of which can come from JD Vance when he is sworn in as vice president.
