Overview

• Tulsi Gabbard, nominated for Director of National Intelligence, faces questions about her past criticism of surveillance programs and her 2017 meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick for Health and Human Services Secretary, is under scrutiny for his anti-vaccine rhetoric and support for abortion rights, which conflict with GOP priorities.
• Key Republican senators, including Susan Collins and Mitch McConnell, have expressed doubts about both nominees, potentially jeopardizing their confirmations.
• The Senate Intelligence and Health Committees are set to hold hearings this week, where both nominees will address concerns raised by lawmakers from both parties.
• With a slim Republican majority in the Senate, the confirmation of these controversial nominees may hinge on a small number of undecided GOP senators.