WATCH LIVE: Gabbard, Ratcliffe and Patel testify on worldwide threats in Senate Intelligence hearing

PBS NewsHour
by Eric Tucker, Associated Press
March 18, 2026
3 min read

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Tulsi Gabbard, John Ratcliffe, and Kash Patel—Trump administration national security officials—are testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday about worldwide threats facing the United States. The hearing comes as the administration faces mounting questions about military operations in Iran, particularly a strike that killed civilians at a school, and the FBI's ability to prevent domestic terrorist attacks. Senate Democrats and Republicans are expected to use the session to probe the administration's foreign policy priorities and counterterrorism strategy. The back-to-back nature of the hearings underscores the urgent pace at which the new national security team is being vetted on critical national defense matters. How the officials respond to questions about civilian casualties and domestic security gaps could influence congressional support for the Trump administration's broader security agenda.

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