Gabbard Excludes Climate Change From Threat Assessment, Sparks King’s Concern

During a recent Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard surprised Senator Angus King by omitting climate change from the U.S. Intelligence Community’s annual threat assessment. Gabbard explained that the report focused solely on the most extreme and direct threats to national security, a significant shift from previous assessments that included climate change as a critical concern. King expressed disbelief at this exclusion, questioning whether climate change had been 'solved' and who made the decision to omit it. He argued that climate change is a significant factor in issues like mass migration and political violence. Gabbard reiterated that the intelligence focus was on immediate threats to Americans' safety, not on environmental factors. The debate highlights a growing divide regarding the classification of climate change as a national security issue.