House Democrats pressed military and defense leaders on Wednesday about the national security impact of Trump’s new tariffs, saying the increased costs are pushing allies in the Pacific away from the U.S. and closer to China.
Speaking during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., said the recent economic meeting between Japan, Korea and China underscores that concern. He added, “This is driving our allies in the wrong direction.”
Democrats on the panel questioned John Noh, who is currently working as the assistant defense secretary for Indo-Pacific affairs, about whether the tariffs are hurting longtime military allies such as Australia, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam.
“We have launched a trade war against every single one of our partners in the Asia region,” said the panel’s ranking democrat, Rep. Adam Smith, of Washington.
Noh repeatedly avoided answering, saying at one point, “I’m not here to talk about tariffs.”
The Trump administration calls China the key national security challenge and has vowed to focus more on the region.