Senate Republicans express relief after Trump pauses tariff plans

WASHINGTON (AP) — As news that President Donald Trump was backing down on most of his tariffs reached a luncheon of Senate Republicans Wednesday, the room reacted with relief, cheers and smiles.It capped an extraordinary 24 hours in Washington in which GOP senators had increasingly confronted the Trump administration with worries about the economic impacts of the president’s sweeping tariff strategy. In Senate hearings and interviews with reporters, GOP skepticism of Trump’s policies had run unusually high, amounting to a rare break with a president they have otherwise championed.Lawmakers had reason to worry: the stock market had been in a volatile tumble for days, and economists were warning that the plans could lead to a recession. As Republicans heard from businesses back home worried about the president’s plans and navigated the political ramifications of crossing Trump, they engaged in a delicate two-step of urging the president to engage in negotiations and warning of the econom...