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Pat Ryan Asks Military Official Point Blank: Do Trump’s Tariffs ‘Help Or Hinder’ Our Ally Relationships?
Forbes Breaking News
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4/18/2025
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing held before the Congressional recess, Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) questioned Military officials about Trump's tariffs.
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00:00
I thank the gentleman for yielding.
00:01
Chair, I recognize the gentleman from New York, Mr. Ryan.
00:04
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
00:06
Thank you all for being here.
00:07
Appreciate you making a long trip, especially for two of the three of you.
00:12
Admiral Paparo, thank you for hosting myself and others out in February, along with my colleague, Mr. Bacon.
00:20
I think it's important to say in front of the American people and the whole committee,
00:23
I left with an incredibly optimistic and, frankly, very proud view of your leadership,
00:31
all the support and component commands, all aligned, clear-eyed about the threat,
00:35
clear-eyed about the urgency of the moment, and I just commend you on that.
00:39
And I also commend you on always coming to us and letting us know in a productive way
00:45
what we can be doing to enable and continue to up that.
00:48
I want to share something specifically that you said at the Honolulu Defense Forum when I was out there
00:55
that I think is really aligned with the chairman's leadership and the ranking member's leadership
00:59
and where we want to focus on acquisition reform.
01:02
You talked about procurement that moves at the speed of combat, not the speed of committee or Congress,
01:11
or we could use other C words.
01:14
I just want to foot-stomp that and thank you for saying that so directly
01:18
and, again, I really appreciate the chair and the ranking member's leadership
01:22
in pushing us as a whole of committee to drive on that.
01:26
And I know that you will continue to let us know specific reforms and needs as that goes through.
01:35
I want to shift now to a separate but related topic.
01:40
And, again, I know we're talking about this a lot,
01:42
but share, Mr. No, my colleague's concern and disappointment that we're not getting candid answers,
01:47
frankly, even as a very junior military officer,
01:51
I understood that all the elements of national power, diplomatic, information, military, and economic,
01:56
have to be synchronized effectively.
01:58
So I do think the committee and the American people are owed an answer on this.
02:02
I want to talk about the impacts to our allies that other colleagues have highlighted.
02:09
The hypocrisy of asking allies and partners in INDOPACOM to up their defense spending,
02:16
up their burden sharing, and then hitting them with nonsensical, uninformed,
02:21
and I think now clearly shown to be not even technically correct terrorists
02:27
is, I think, a massive own goal, as we would say with my five- and three-year-olds that I'm teaching soccer.
02:35
Your testimony specifically calls out empowering our allies and commanders in your opening remarks
02:43
as one of the keys to reestablishing deterrence in INDOPACOM and achieving peace through strength.
02:49
Yes or no, please?
02:50
Do you think a 46, or does the department think a 46% tariff empowers Vietnam?
02:58
Yes or no?
03:00
Congressman, I can't give a yes or no answer because the issue of tariffs is...
03:04
Do you think...
03:06
...on purview of my position?
03:06
Do you think that a 25% tariff on South Korea empowers our allies and partners?
03:14
Same answer, Congressman.
03:16
General Brunson, do you think that empowers our allies and partners in South Korea?
03:27
Congressman, if I could just ask for a point of clarification.
03:29
Now we're down to 25%.
03:31
I would say that it impacts their budget, and so that's something else they'll have to work
03:37
through the Korean government to solve.
03:40
Do you think it strengthens our partnership, yes or no?
03:45
Congressman, I cannot say that yet because I don't know the impacts of it.
03:50
I've been here for a week, but we've come through our recent exercise series.
03:54
There have been no impacts to what I understand are purchases that are ongoing for the military
04:00
element within Korea, and I believe that we're sound.
04:04
Thank you, General.
04:05
On Australia, who everyone has acknowledged is our most strategic partner in Indo-PACOM,
04:10
and Mr. Courtney spoke about this.
04:12
Admiral Paparo, you called them our most strategic partner.
04:15
Mr. No, you called them a key logistics hub.
04:17
It's clear that they were blindsided in particular by this tariff, which I find particularly offensive
04:22
given the time and investment all of us have spent in building that relationship and nurturing
04:27
and growing that relationship, to the point that the prime minister said, quote,
04:31
the Trump administration's tariffs have no basis in logic, and they go against the basis
04:36
of our two nations' partnerships.
04:38
He's absolutely right.
04:40
Does that tariff, can you at least acknowledge on AUKUS, given all the bipartisan work that's
04:44
been done there, that that hurts our relationship, Mr. No?
04:47
Congressman, we have a very strong relationship with Australia.
04:53
Yes or no, does that, does that help or hinder our partnership, to blindside an ally with
04:59
such a forceful tariff?
05:01
I'm not, I'm not here to talk about tariffs, Congressman.
05:05
I yield back, Mr. Senator.
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