Trump 2nd term updates: Trump attends the Super Bowl

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has announced she intends to support Tulsi Gabbard to be Trump's director of national intelligence.

Collins was considered a key swing vote for Tuesday's vote in the Senate Intelligence Committee on whether to advance Gabbard's nomination.

The panel will vote on Gabbard during a closed-door meeting at 2 p.m. If Gabbard clears the committee, which Collins' support will likely help her to do, her final confirmation vote will occur on the Senate floor likely next week.

Collins said in a statement that Gabbard "addressed" her concerns regarding Gabbard's position on Edward Snowden, a topic that dominated her confirmation hearing last week. She also said Gabbard shares her view for reforming the intelligence agency.

"As one of the principal authors of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 that established this coordinating position, I understand the critical role the DNI plays in the Intelligence Community," Collins said. "The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, however, has become far larger than it was designed to be, and Ms. Gabbard shares my vision of returning the agency to its intended size."

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that Elon Musk is classified as a "special government employee" but could not say if he passed a background check.

"I can confirm he's a special government employee. I can also confirm that he has abided by all applicable federal laws," Leavitt said. "As for his security clearance, I'm not sure, but I can check back with you."

She also said she did not know if Musk's aides at the Department of Government Efficiency have a security clearance, or if Musk took the oath of office that White House officials such as herself take.

Reporters asked Leavitt if Musk had expertise in global health and humanitarian aid considering DOGE's role in shuttering the doors at USAID.

"Well, first of all, Elon Musk is a once-in-a-generation business leader. He is an entrepreneur. He serves as a great ally and a friend to the president," Leavitt responded. "And I think Elon Musk also has a little bit of common sense, and I think the American people really appreciate that when it comes to the federal government, because it seems like all common sense has been lost in this city, and that's what you see when you look at USAID."

-ABC News' Fritz Farrow

Protesters were in front of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Monday in opposition to Elon Musk's aides gaining access to federal human resources databases that contain sensitive information for millions of federal employees.

Keya Chatterjee, the executive director of the local nonprofit Free DC, told ABC News an "administrative coup" is taking place where "the president has become a puppet of Musk."

"This kind of consolidation of power can lead to a really dangerous outcomes. We’ve seen it in different countries and now is the moment to roll this back," Chatterjee said.

The majority of the roughly 20 protesters were covered from head to toe to conceal their identities and were hesitant to speak with the media. Some spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.

“We decided we need to grab some people every morning this week and just do a small rally or picket in front of boarding other agencies that are being attacked, and just make it known that we do not support this and we have those First Amendment rights to speak out against that, because a lot of federal workers don't think they have rights," one federal worker told ABC News.

-ABC News' Rebecca Gelpi

President Donald Trump again expressed his desire for the U.S. to regain control of the Panama Canal, and said he would hold a call with Panama officials on Friday afternoon.

"We either want it back or we're going to get something very strong or we're going to take it back," Trump said as he took reporter questions in the Oval Office, where he continued to criticize former President Jimmy Carter for negotiating a treaty that ceded control of the waterway to the Central American nation.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was in Panama on Sunday as part of his first official trip to the region, demanded that Panama do something about China's influence over the canal. In remarks after their meeting, Panamanian leader José Raúl Mulino was sympathetic to some of the Trump administration's concerns, like immigration and Chinese influence but unmoved on the issue of canal control. Mulino said technical experts would meet with U.S. officials to discuss concerns they had, and maintained that the neutrality of the waterway was not in question.

"We're going to be talking to Panama on Friday, essentially," Trump said. "And they've agreed to certain things, but I'm not happy with it."