Trump 2nd term live updates: Dan Bongino named as deputy FBI director

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, announced she will vote against Kash Patel's nomination to serve as FBI director.

"There is a compelling need for an FBI Director who is decidedly apolitical. While Mr. Patel has had 16 years of dedicated public service, his time over the past four years has been characterized by high profile and aggressive political activity," she said in a statement.

The announcement came as the Senate actively took a test vote on Patel's nomination. He will need a simple majority of votes to advance to final confirmation later Thursday afternoon.

Even with Collins' objection, Patel is expected to get the necessary votes to be confirmed.

-ABC News' Allison Pecorin

The Senate Committee on Health Education and Pension on Thursday voted to advance Linda McMahon's nomination to lead the Department of Education.

The vote along party lines, 12-11.

McMahon's nomination now advances to consideration on the Senate floor. Senate Majority Leader John Thune will likely begin processing McMahon's full vote on the floor next week. She will ultimately need a simple majority of votes to be confirmed by the Senate.

The vote comes as President Donald Trump is attempting to dismantle the federal Department of Education. If McMahon is confirmed by the full Senate, Trump is expected to sign an executive order directing McMahon to submit a proposal for diminishing the department and then the president said she should "put herself out of a job."

Though during her confirmation hearing last week, McMahon confirmed only Congress could shut down the department.

-ABC News' Arthur Jones II

As President Donald Trump continues to attack Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Vance was asked at CPAC on Thursday about the status of negotiations.

"It's early," Vance said. He praised Trump, saying the president doesn't take anything off the table in negotiations.

Experts, however, have criticized Trump for seemingly ruling out NATO membership for Ukraine and Ukraine returning to its pre-war borders.

"I'll tell you the goals that animate Trump's policy. It's really simple: he wants the killing to stop, he wants to bring lasting peace to Europe -- he doesn't just want to stop it now and have the war restart a month from now -- he wants to bring lasting peace to Europe because the president believes this, and he's absolutely right, peace is in the interest of Russia, it's in the interest of Ukraine, it's in the interest of Europe but most importantly peace is in the interest of the American people."

Vice President JD Vance stoked some controversy last week with his speech at the Munich Security Conference, where he criticized European allies on immigration, free speech and other issues.

At CPAC on Thursday, he stood by the themes in his address after receiving a standing ovation from the audience.

“We cannot rebuild the United States of America or Europe by letting millions and millions of unvetted migrants come into our country and it has to stop," Vance said. He added: "You can't just stop it. You have to allow European peoples, and American people too, to raise issues about it. You have to allow free speech to debate this stop."

Asked about the future of U.S. alliances on the continent, Vance said they would continue to have "important" partnerships with Europe.

"But I really do think the strength of those alliances is going to depend on whether we take our societies in the right direction ... That friendship is based on shared values," he said.