GOP/SENATE/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Senate Republicans return to Washington Monday [6-4-18] and face a choice: Are they willing to take action on trade against the President from their own party? The Trump administration shocked lawmakers last week when it announced it would impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from US allies in the European Union, Canada and Mexico, a move that Republicans have tried publicly and privately for months to discourage. On Saturday [[6-2-18], retiring Tennessee Republican Sen. Bob Corker tweeted that he was working with ‘like-minded’ senators on the issue, but whether there will be a large enough coalition to force a change isn’t clear yet…The fear among Republicans is that new tariffs could raise the cost of consumer goods in an election year and overshadow an otherwise strong economy…But, confronting Trump — especially just months ahead of the midterms — carries its own risks. So far, Republican leaders — including McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch — have all sounded the alarm, but there’s little evidence that they’d swiftly move legislation to roll back the trade authority of the administration.”
-Lauren Fox, “GOP senators eye their options against Trump on tariffs,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, June 4, 2018 12:48 pm