Press Release

Welch Urges Opposition to Tulsi Gabbard; Cites Lack of Experience, Questionable Judgement, Capacity to Do the Job 

Feb 11, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C.U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) tonight took to the Senate floor to speak on his opposition to Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s pick to serve as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Senator Welch expressed concerns about Gabbard’s judgment, integrity, and character, and how her lack of independent thought and devotion to President Trump could endanger national security. 

“On the basis of lack of experience, of questionable judgment, and lack of confidence that I think many of us have in the capacity of this person to be the Director of National Intelligence, I urge that we vote no on her nomination,” said Senator Welch

Watch Senator Welch’s speech below: 

Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:  

  • Senate Committee on Finance  
  • Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry 

Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit  

  • Senate Committee on the Judiciary 

Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution  

  • Senate Committee on Rules & Administration 

Senator Peter Welch has spent the bulk of his life working to improve the lives of folks who too often get left behind. After fighting housing discrimination in Chicago, he enrolled in law school at the UC-Berkeley, and later settled in White River Junction, Vermont, where he worked as a public defender before founding a small law practice. He was first elected to represent Windsor County in the Vermont Senate in 1980. Peter was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served for 16 years before being elected to the Senate in 2022. In the Senate, he’s focused on lowering costs for Vermonters, making Washington work better for Vermont, and protecting civil rights and democracy in America and abroad. 

Learn more about his work by visiting his website or by following him on social media

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