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Gabbard and RFK Jr.'s Senate calculator: These are the key votes for two of Trump's most controversial nominees

Both nominees went through confirmation hearings, with many questioning their past statements.

Some Republicans remain undecided on Gabbard and RFK Jr./ Jemal CountessAFP

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Tulsi Gabbard and Robert Kennedy Jr., two of Donald Trump's nominees who generated the most controversy on Capitol Hill, faced their confirmation hearings defensively. Senate Democrats and Republicans grilled both on their past statements and assertions, so their confirmations are expected to be uphill.

Currently, the Republican Party has a majority of 53 seats in the Senate. Therefore, it would take four senators voting no to knock down a nomination. However, the story is different within the committees. There, regardless of which one it is, the majority is one senator.

Therefore, neither Gabbard nor RFK Jr. can afford to lose a single Republican vote on the Intelligence Committee or the Finance Committee, respectively. Should a Republican fail to vote for them at the committee stage, the nomination cannot advance to the full Senate.

Key votes for Tulsi Gabbard

  • Susan Collins (R-ME)
  • Jerry Moran (R-KS)
  • James Lankford (R-OK)
  • Todd Young (R-IN)

In Gabbard's case, both Young and Collins were concerned about her previous statements about Edward Snowden, a former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor who leaked classified documents.

"It would befit you and be helpful for the way you're perceived by members of the Intelligence Committee," Young told her, but Gabbard was reluctant to define Snowden as a "traitor."

As for Collins, she asked the nominee if she would ask for a pardon or commutation of Snowden's sentence, to which Gabbard said no to both questions. "I was happy with her responses to my questions," the Maine senator said after the confirmation hearing.

Eight Trump nominees have already made it through the Senate

Marco Rubio, Scott Bessent, Pete Hegseth, Kristi Noem, Sean Duffy, Doug Burgum, Lee Zeldin and John Ratcliffe have already been confirmed to their respective posts.

Moran starred in some of the most viral exchanges in Gabbard's hearing when he asked her if Russia didn't have "a pass in either your mind or your heart." Trump's nominee answered him negatively and said the question offended her.

Finally, the Oklahoma senator stated that he needs to know a little more about Gabbard before he is sure of his vote. Like Young, Lankford appeared to be unhappy with her answer about Snowden. "I think there are a lot of questions after. I thought that was going to be an easy softball question," he told a group of reporters.

The key vote for RFK Jr.

  • Bill Cassidy (R-LA)

Cassidy, a gastroenterology physician and chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, pressed Kennedy on his past statements about the safety of vaccines for humans.

RFK Jr. said he was willing to review the evidence and apologized "for any statements that have misled people." Not entirely satisfied, the senator retorted, "I’ve got to figure that out for my vote."

In addition, Cassidy asked Kennedy if he was willing to assert that measles contraception is not linked to autism. "If the data are there, I'll do it without hesitation," he replied. Later in the hearing, Kennedy suggested they meet privately to discuss the issue, claiming he has scientific studies to support the contrary. "I'm pro-science," he noted.

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