Tulsi Gabbard, a former United States Representative, has cleared a critical hurdle in her bid to become the next Director of National Intelligence (DNI), securing approval from the Senate Intelligence Committee in a closely contested vote.
The decision, which passed 9-8 along party lines, moves her nomination to the full Senate for confirmation, according to The Hill.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton confirmed the outcome following a closed-door session.
"The Intelligence Committee has favourably voted to advance Tulsi Gabbard’s nomination to the full United States Senate. We look forward to her confirmation and working with her to keep America safe," he told reporters.
Gabbard’s nomination received a significant boost earlier in the day when Senator Todd Young, a key Republican swing vote, announced his support.
In a series of posts on X, Todd Young endorsed her, stating, "I appreciate Tulsi Gabbard's engagement with me on a variety of issues to ensure that our intelligence professionals will be supported and policymakers will receive unbiased information under her leadership."
Todd Young, a former Marine Corps intelligence officer, added, "I have done what the Framers envisioned for senators to do: use the consultative process to seek firm commitments, in this case, commitments that will advance our national security, which is my top priority." He concluded, "Having now secured these commitments, I will support Tulsi's nomination and look forward to working with her to protect our national security."
Gabbard, nominated by US President Donald Trump for the post, is a former Army Reserve lieutenant colonel, Democratic congresswoman, and 2020 presidential candidate who formally joined the Republican Party last year.
Her stance on the intelligence community has drawn scrutiny, as she has previously referred to the tens of thousands of personnel under the DNI’s purview as part of the "deep state."
Her path to confirmation was further eased by Senator Susan Collins, who also declared her support.
Collins and Young had been viewed as pivotal votes in the committee’s deliberations.
Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed doubts about the choice of Gabbard, a 43-year-old former Democrat and combat veteran without significant intelligence experience, to serve as the nation's top spy overseeing all 18 US intelligence agencies.
Born in American Samoa, Gabbard was raised in Hawaii, where her parents were followers of the Science of Identity Foundation, a splinter group of ISKCON.
Coming from a family of Krishna devotees, Gabbard’s father was active in state politics. He also led a local movement opposing same-sex marriage, and later served as a Honolulu city council member, state legislator, and currently as a Hawaii state senator.
Deeply influenced by Chris Butler, Gabbard grew up with the Bhagavad Gita as a guiding text and has openly embraced her Hindu identity.
At 21, she was elected to the Hawaii House of Representatives in 2002. Following her deployment in Iraq, she worked as a Senate aide before winning a seat in the US House of Representatives from Hawaii in 2012.
As the first Hindu member of the House, Gabbard was sworn into office with her hand on the Bhagavad Gita.
In 2019-2020, she ran in the Democratic presidential primaries but later dropped out of the race and endorsed Joe Biden.
During her election campaign, citing her military experience, she argued that US wars in the Middle East had destabilised the region, made the US less safe and cost thousands of American lives. She had also blamed her own party for not opposing the wars.
In 2022, she left the Democratic Party to become an independent, saying her old party was dominated by an “elitist cabal of warmongers” and “woke” ideologues.
In the 2024 US presidential election, she expressed support for Donald Trump and later assisted his team in preparing for presidential debates.
Gabbard is married to cinematographer Abraham Williams.
With the Intelligence Committee’s endorsement secured, Gabbard now awaits a final vote in the full Senate, where partisan divisions are expected to shape the outcome.