'The President Wants Us To Pay More?': Sydney Kamlager-Dove Grills Top Trump Official Over Tariffs

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During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday, Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) asked Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker about President Trump's tariff policy.

Transcript

00:00Gentleman yields back. Chair recognizes. Representative Cum Lager Dove.

00:05Thank you, Mr. Chair and Ranking Member, and thank you Undersecretary Hooker for being here

00:12today. So, Ms. Hooker, in your nomination hearing, you stated that your priorities as

00:18Undersecretary would be to strengthen our diplomatic workforce, reinforce our

00:23relationships with partners, and confront our adversaries with strength and resolve. Is that

00:28correct? Yes. Okay, great. So, I'd like to focus on how the Trump administration has

00:35measured up to those goals in South Asia. So, I want to talk about Sri Lanka. Are you

00:41familiar with Sri Lanka? Yes. Okay, great. And so, I'm sure then you're aware that Sri

00:47Lanka's defaulted on its foreign debt in 2022 and owes significant loans to China,

00:53and China's capitalizing on Sri Lanka's inability to pay that debt by taking over control of key

01:01infrastructure. Yes? Would you agree? I'm aware of the circumstances. Okay, great. So,

01:09for Sri Lanka to repay its debt and avoid having to give up more strategic assets to the PRC, it

01:15needs to reform its economy and boost economic growth. So, can you explain how the Trump administration's

01:21proposed 30% tariffs on Sri Lanka helps improve the country's economic outlook and its ability

01:28to repay its debt? Thank you, Congresswoman, for that question. You know, President Trump's first

01:35priority is the American people and ensuring that our economic situation here at home is improving.

01:44One tool in his toolbox for doing that, for improving the economy, for ensuring there's balanced trade,

01:50are tariffs. Right. So, I understand that. So, if the priority is the American voter and the taxpayer,

01:56are you saying that President Trump wants the American taxpayer to pay higher prices for goods?

02:06Could you explain further? Well, are you saying that the President wants

02:11us to pay more for the goods that we purchase? I'm saying that tariffs are a tool in the toolbox when

02:20working with our individual counterparts in other countries. So, yes. So, are you committing

02:26that there will be a trade agreement reached with Sri Lanka by August 1st?

02:31That, Congresswoman, is up to the government of Sri Lanka and how they negotiate that? Well,

02:40but it's also up to us. And I'm raising this because I don't think, well, I don't know what the President

02:45thinks, but I know my constituents in my district don't want to have to pay higher prices. And I also

02:52know that, last I checked, we're not on-shoring or we're not trying to on-shore apparel and garment

02:58industries. And we know that Sri Lanka is actually, you know, responsible for manufacturing a lot of goods

03:03that American businesses sell to American consumers. And so, it would make sense that we are able to keep

03:12those relationships with Sri Lanka. And in order for that to continue, they need some kind of support

03:18as a partner with us, an economic partner with us, so that they can keep those facilities and allow

03:24American businesses to continue to produce goods and sell to American consumers at a good price.

03:32So, can you commit to anything as it relates to Sri Lanka and this deal?

03:37I, for the trade deals, I refer you to the Commerce Department and the USTR Ambassador Jameson Greer.

03:46So, but they're conducting those negotiations. But how does the tariffs, how do the tariffs improve

03:52Sri Lanka's economic outlook with us, for us, in partnership with us? Congresswoman,

04:02thank you for your question. As I mentioned, the tariffs are aimed at balancing trade. That's the

04:08President's objective and that's how he's using them. On trade issues, again, I would like to defer you,

04:14to refer you to my colleagues at the Commerce Department and USTR for the details of the trade

04:21deal. But Ms. Baker, reclaiming my time, I'm asking you these questions because according to your bio,

04:24you are the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs. So, you have responsibility, jurisdiction over

04:30all of the regional bureaus. You should be able to be talking about this from a policy standpoint to say,

04:36what are the pros and what are the cons? I mean, I'm actually curious, listening to your testimony,

04:41about what you are actually responsible for. Oh, I'm happy to talk about that. I don't need you to

04:46answer that question, but I do want you to think about it. We also have challenges with the Maldives.

04:52PRC is making incredible inroads into that region with the Indian Ocean. Trump, one, wanted an embassy.

05:00Trump, two, is talking about closing down embassies. I have to disagree on that point. There's no discussion

05:08of closing any embassies or any consulates abroad. I don't know where you're getting that information.

05:16We've had multiple conversations about the administration wanting to close down embassies.

05:21I think in strategic regions, there should be some discussion. And I would think that your role

05:27is to actually bring up reasons why we would want to continue to have a presence in strategic

05:32regions where China is making inroads. Thank you, Congresswoman. We are paying very close attention

05:41to that. I can tell you that there are no closures. I can tell you authoritatively that there are no

05:46closures planned at this moment. I mean, it is my job to oversee each of the regional bureaus.

05:51So you're committing, and you're committing that they're not going to close any-

05:53General ladies, time has expired long ago. Thank you, Mr. Chair. But I'm glad that the

05:57Under Secretary committed to us not closing down any embassies.

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