'Gut check time': Dissent among Senate GOP ranks threatens to reduce Trump's spending cut demand

Senate Republicans are gearing up to claw back billions of dollars in foreign aid and citizens broadcasting funding but dissent is brewing among specific who could eat into President Donald Trump s cut request A cohort of Senate Republicans are publicly and privately growing squeamish over the White House s billion rescissions package which would slash billion from the U S Agency for International Advance USAID and over billion from the Corporation for Masses Broadcasting CPB the government-backed funding arm for NPR and PBS 'BAIT AND SWITCH' SCHUMER WARNS OF BITTER FUNDING FIGHT OVER GOP CUTS PLANThe cuts stem from Trump s Department of Establishment Efficiency DOGE which was lauded by largest part Republicans for its mission to root out waste fraud and abuse in the federal leadership Still concerns and calls for changes are being made in particular to proposed slashes to the President s Exigency Plan for AIDS Relief PEPFAR and the residents broadcasting fund Publicly Sens Susan Collins R-Maine Mike Rounds R-S D and Lisa Murkowski R-Alaska have all aired their concerns about the House-passed bill and are eyeing changes that could see the cuts reduced TRUMP'S PLAN TO SLASH 'WOKE' FOREIGN AID NPR FUNDS CLEARS HOUSE AS SENATE BATTLE LOOMS I don't like it as it is currently drafted Murkowski revealed I m a strong supporter of the Corporation for Community Broadcasting and our physical condition programs are central Collins has raised issues with slashes to PEPFAR an issue brought forth during a hearing with White House agents last month while Rounds is worried about funding being slashed to rural radio stations particularly for Native American populations in his state and others and their ability to get good information during times of stress Senate Republican leadership already has plans for an amendment process on the bill which will likely culminate in another marathon vote-a-rama amendment session roughly two weeks after the grueling amendment process for Trump s big beautiful bill Senate Majority Leader John Thune R-S D noted that he intended to put the package on the Senate floor next week likely ahead of the Friday deadline for lawmakers to advance the clawbacks If the bill is amended it would have to be sent back to the House before heading to Trump s desk Sen Markwayne Mullin R-Okla reported Fox News Digital that he expected the vote-a-rama to begin Wednesday and disclosed the hope was that leadership would be able to address as various concerns among Republicans as manageable before bringing the bill to the floor Whatever it takes we re having those conversations he mentioned The point is once we get to the vote-a-rama we want to have as much issues resolved so we know where we're at on the floor without any surprises And I think we can do that maybe not but I think we can I think we got a good picture of where we're at right now Other lawmakers see the package in its current form as a no-brainer to pass Sen John Kennedy R-La disclosed that if amendments were offered to keep spending that he agreed with he could find himself supporting tweaks to the package But he challenged his colleagues to reject a spending cut package that ultimately amounted to less than half a percent of the nation s entire budget This is gut check time for our Republican colleagues he explained They either believe in reducing spending or they don't They either believe in spending porn or they don't and I've listened to my colleagues especially in the last plus days talk about how great DOGE was Well now is the chance to show it