Senate Republicans brace for intra-party fight over foreign aid cuts

• Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) set off a back-and-forth among senators on Wednesday after mentioning her concerns during a closed-door lunch.
• She emphasized the issues she had with cuts to global health programs, three sources familiar tell Axios.
• Collins also argued that the process for finding savings is supposed to be in the annual appropriations process, which she oversees as committee chair.

Between the lines: Leadership is already planning to work around Collins. A senator is expected to make a motion to discharge the bill from the Appropriations Committee to bring it to the floor.

Zoom in: Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) was among those who highlighted concerns, as well as Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).

• Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), John Kennedy (R-La.) and Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) defended the package, the sources said.

• The idea was raised of bringing in Trump's budget chief, Russ Vought, to answer questions from senators.

The bottom line: "A lot of questions are being asked, and they're appropriate questions. Russ Vought can answer them," Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters.

• "There are some people in the Senate — you'll be surprised, I'm sure — that talk one way and act another," Kennedy said.
• "They say they're for reducing spending, but they're really not."
• "It's gut-check time," Kennedy said. "We need to pass this bill."