Republicans are cautioning that Tulsi Gabbard’s likelihood of being confirmed to head the U.S. intelligence community is waning as she struggles to secure backing from key GOP senators.

his week, Gabbard, alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kash Patel, is scheduled to undergo high-stakes confirmation hearings as the Senate reviews some of President Trump’s most debated nominees, according to The Hill.

Trump nominated Gabbard to become director of national intelligence.

Gabbard faces the most uncertain path to confirmation, as she works to win over skeptical Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which will decide her fate ahead of Thursday’s hearing.

“I think it remains to be seen,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an Intelligence Committee member, when asked if Gabbard can win support of the panel. “I think the jury’s still out.” Another Senate Republican agreed, telling The Hill that Gabbard “has a path [that] continues to narrow.”

Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic congresswoman from Hawaii and current Army Reserve officer, cannot afford to lose any votes on the Intelligence Committee. The committee holds a narrow 9-8 Republican majority and includes two GOP senators considered potential swing votes: Susan Collins of Maine, who recently voted against another Trump nominee on the Senate floor, and Todd Young of Indiana.

In an interview with The Hill, Senator Collins stated her intention to scrutinize Gabbard’s position on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which permits warrantless surveillance of foreign targets. Although Gabbard has attempted to soften her previous criticisms of the program, Collins expressed skepticism about the genuineness of Gabbard’s apparent shift in stance.

“There are several questions I want to follow up on in the hearing,” Collins said, telling the outlet that she didn’t want to preview them all “because I want to hear her unpracticed responses” even though she expects Gabbard will be prepared for any and all questions.

“But there are a lot of obvious issues,” Collins added. “Her answers to the written questions were very hedged on it. I know there’s been a lot of reporting that she’s changed her position. That’s not how I read her answers. I read them as, ‘I’ll take a look at the reforms and see if they meet my concerns.’”

As a Democratic representative in the House, Gabbard introduced legislation in 2020 aimed at repealing Section 702 and consistently opposed its reauthorization following reports that various U.S. intelligence agencies were spying on American citizens, in violation of federal law.

But she told told Punchbowl News recently that the 702 program is “crucial” and “must be safeguarded to protect our nation while ensuring the civil liberties of Americans” in an attempted turnabout.

“If confirmed as [intelligence director], I will uphold Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights while maintaining vital national security tools like Section 702 to ensure the safety and freedom of the American people,” Gabbard said.