Pat Ryan Asks Military Official Point Blank: Do Trump’s Tariffs ‘Help Or Hinder’ Our Ally Relationships?

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During a House Armed Services Committee hearing held before the Congressional recess, Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) questioned Military officials about Trump's tariffs.

Transcript

00:00I thank the gentleman for yielding.

00:01Chair, I recognize the gentleman from New York, Mr. Ryan.

00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:06Thank you all for being here.

00:07Appreciate you making a long trip, especially for two of the three of you.

00:12Admiral Paparo, thank you for hosting myself and others out in February, along with my colleague, Mr. Bacon.

00:20I think it's important to say in front of the American people and the whole committee,

00:23I left with an incredibly optimistic and, frankly, very proud view of your leadership,

00:31all the support and component commands, all aligned, clear-eyed about the threat,

00:35clear-eyed about the urgency of the moment, and I just commend you on that.

00:39And I also commend you on always coming to us and letting us know in a productive way

00:45what we can be doing to enable and continue to up that.

00:48I want to share something specifically that you said at the Honolulu Defense Forum when I was out there

00:55that I think is really aligned with the chairman's leadership and the ranking member's leadership

00:59and where we want to focus on acquisition reform.

01:02You talked about procurement that moves at the speed of combat, not the speed of committee or Congress,

01:11or we could use other C words.

01:14I just want to foot-stomp that and thank you for saying that so directly

01:18and, again, I really appreciate the chair and the ranking member's leadership

01:22in pushing us as a whole of committee to drive on that.

01:26And I know that you will continue to let us know specific reforms and needs as that goes through.

01:35I want to shift now to a separate but related topic.

01:40And, again, I know we're talking about this a lot,

01:42but share, Mr. No, my colleague's concern and disappointment that we're not getting candid answers,

01:47frankly, even as a very junior military officer,

01:51I understood that all the elements of national power, diplomatic, information, military, and economic,

01:56have to be synchronized effectively.

01:58So I do think the committee and the American people are owed an answer on this.

02:02I want to talk about the impacts to our allies that other colleagues have highlighted.

02:09The hypocrisy of asking allies and partners in INDOPACOM to up their defense spending,

02:16up their burden sharing, and then hitting them with nonsensical, uninformed,

02:21and I think now clearly shown to be not even technically correct terrorists

02:27is, I think, a massive own goal, as we would say with my five- and three-year-olds that I'm teaching soccer.

02:35Your testimony specifically calls out empowering our allies and commanders in your opening remarks

02:43as one of the keys to reestablishing deterrence in INDOPACOM and achieving peace through strength.

02:49Yes or no, please?

02:50Do you think a 46, or does the department think a 46% tariff empowers Vietnam?

02:58Yes or no?

03:00Congressman, I can't give a yes or no answer because the issue of tariffs is...

03:04Do you think...

03:06...on purview of my position?

03:06Do you think that a 25% tariff on South Korea empowers our allies and partners?

03:14Same answer, Congressman.

03:16General Brunson, do you think that empowers our allies and partners in South Korea?

03:27Congressman, if I could just ask for a point of clarification.

03:29Now we're down to 25%.

03:31I would say that it impacts their budget, and so that's something else they'll have to work

03:37through the Korean government to solve.

03:40Do you think it strengthens our partnership, yes or no?

03:45Congressman, I cannot say that yet because I don't know the impacts of it.

03:50I've been here for a week, but we've come through our recent exercise series.

03:54There have been no impacts to what I understand are purchases that are ongoing for the military

04:00element within Korea, and I believe that we're sound.

04:04Thank you, General.

04:05On Australia, who everyone has acknowledged is our most strategic partner in Indo-PACOM,

04:10and Mr. Courtney spoke about this.

04:12Admiral Paparo, you called them our most strategic partner.

04:15Mr. No, you called them a key logistics hub.

04:17It's clear that they were blindsided in particular by this tariff, which I find particularly offensive

04:22given the time and investment all of us have spent in building that relationship and nurturing

04:27and growing that relationship, to the point that the prime minister said, quote,

04:31the Trump administration's tariffs have no basis in logic, and they go against the basis

04:36of our two nations' partnerships.

04:38He's absolutely right.

04:40Does that tariff, can you at least acknowledge on AUKUS, given all the bipartisan work that's

04:44been done there, that that hurts our relationship, Mr. No?

04:47Congressman, we have a very strong relationship with Australia.

04:53Yes or no, does that, does that help or hinder our partnership, to blindside an ally with

04:59such a forceful tariff?

05:01I'm not, I'm not here to talk about tariffs, Congressman.

05:05I yield back, Mr. Senator.

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