Republicans are cautioning that Tulsi Gabbard’s path to confirmation to lead the U.S. Intelligence apparatus is narrowing as she seemingly has trouble winning over key GOP senators.

Gabbard, along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Kash Patel, are set for their high-stakes confirmation hearings this week as senators face some of President Trump’s most controversial nominees.

But it’s Gabbard who appears to have the most tenuous path to confirmation as she struggles to assuage Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which will determine her fate, ahead of Thursday's hearing.

“I think it remains to be seen,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), an Intelligence member, when asked if Gabbard can win support of the committee. “I think the jury’s still out.”

A second Senate Republican agreed, telling The Hill that Gabbard “has a path [that] continues to narrow.”

Gabbard can’t afford to lose a single vote on the Intelligence Committee, which has a 9-8 party split and features two GOP members who are considered swing votes: Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), who last week voted against another Trump nominee on the floor, and Todd Young (Ind.).

Collins told The Hill in an interview that she wants to press Gabbard on her stance on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows for the warrantless surveillance of foreign targets.

Gabbard has sought to walk back her past criticism of the program, but Collins told The Hill she doesn’t necessarily believe Gabbard’s change of heart.

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

“But there are a lot of obvious issues,” Collins said. “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........

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