Former United States Congresswoman from Hawaii Tulsi Gabbard was named eighth director of national intelligence (DNI) by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday. Gabbard, the first Samoan American and Hindu American to serve in Congress, was deployed to Iraq as a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.
In her new role, she will oversee the 18 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community (IC), which includes the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and the National Security Agency (NSA). The cabinet-level position was created as part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004.
According to The Washington Post, the DNI also serves, upon invitation, as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, the National Security Council (NSC), and the Homeland Security Council (HSC) on all intelligence matters. The DNI, supported by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), produces the President’s Daily Brief (PDB), the classified document that includes intelligence from all of the IC agencies.
A Narrow Confirmation
Gabbard is just the latest cabinet pick to face and overcome a tough uphill battle with lawmakers. She was confirmed in a 52-48 vote that was divided along party lines. Every Democrat in the Senate voted against her confirmation, while nearly every Republican – with the exception of former GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky – voted in favor.
The former Democratic Congresswoman from Hawaii was named as the DNI pick in November, and soon after, several Democrats, joined by a handful of Republicans, voiced their concerns. Issues were raised over positions on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702, Edward Snowden, and Syria.
Moderate Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine – a member of the Intelligence Committee who also helped draft the 2004 legislation that established the DNI position – supported the nomination and voted in favor of her confirmation.
“The Office of the Director of National Intelligence … has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size,” Collins said in a statement earlier this month.
From Democratic Lawmaker to Trump Supporter
The 43-year-old Gabbard has served more than two decades in the Army Reserve. Gabbard has set multiple political precedents throughout her career. She was first elected to the Hawaii State Legislature at age 21 in 2002, making her the youngest person ever elected in the state. After serving one term, she left office when her National Guard unit was deployed to Iraq.
She was also a longtime Democrat, serving on the Honolulu City Council and in the Hawaii State House before representing the Aloha State in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021.
Gabbard ran an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, but after dropping out of the race, she endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden. She left the Democratic Party in 2022 and became an independent and Fox News contributor. In October 2024, she officially joined the Republican Party and endorsed President Trump.
