Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed

By Murray Rundus

The Trump Administration scored two victories this week. On Wednesday, Tulsi Gabbard managed to win the Senate’s support and secure confirmation as director of national intelligence. Today, the Trump cabinet welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the Senate voted to confirm him as the new head of the Department of Health and Human Services. The votes for both were identical at 52-48, with Mitch McConnell being the only Republican to vote against both nominees.

These confirmations of prominent yet controversial cabinet members demonstrate a moment of strength and stability for both the Executive Branch and the Senate. In a time when the government is largely gridlocked, often requiring a near-impossible 60-vote majority to pass legislation, it is refreshing to see two representatives of change navigate the muddy bureaucracy successfully. This also indicates that the establishment has grown more accepting of populist figures who were once considered pariahs just half a decade ago. Whether this means the establishment has lost its grip on power or the populists have acquiesced to the entrenched powers in Washington remains to be seen.

There are a few potentially watershed moments for both cabinet members that will determine if they are the true change agents they are often claimed to be. First, we should observe whether the wars in Gaza and Ukraine can be resolved peacefully this year. Trump nominated Gabbard knowing that she would speak her mind about the ‘forever-wars.’ If these conflicts come to a close this year and a new sense of international security emerges, we may assume that Tulsi Gabbard played a role. On the domestic front, it was encouraging to see Gabbard specifically mention Catholics as having been targeted by the FBI. Catholic Family News was specifically named among the groups targeted. We can hope that Gabbard will serve as an advocate against efforts to suppress traditional Catholicism under the guise of combating ‘hate speech’

As for Kennedy, we have seen several positive developments throughout the hearings, including his support for Trump’s push for conscience exemptions and the implementation of policies preventing federal funding of abortion domestically or abroad. Kennedy even stated that “We cannot be a moral nation if we have 1.2 million abortions a year.” Practically, we can hope that Kennedy will oversee a re-examination of the ‘abortion pill’ (mifepristone) and restrict its availability through the mail. Kennedy has already suggested that government agencies should investigate the safety of the pill.

The coming months will be crucial for the Trump administration to gain momentum and enact changes. With the midterms only two years away, there is a short window for the administration to use its energy and historic mandate to permanently alter the status quo.