U.S. ‘can’t fight a war’ without American steel, Trump tariff chief says
Global News
Howard Lutnick defended the doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs while denying the immediate real-world implications that will have on U.S. defence manufacturing.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Wednesday defended the doubling of steel and aluminum tariffs by claiming the United States “can’t fight a war” without domestic production of those materials.
Lutnick made the comments while denying the immediate real-world implications that steep tariffs will have on U.S. manufacturing during testimony in front of the U.S. Senate appropriations committee that focused in part on U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policy.
“The big issue is, you can’t fight a war without steel and aluminum production in America,” Lutnick said during an exchange with Democratic U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who was asking if he or Trump consulted with the Pentagon before raising those tariffs.
“If you don’t have the ability to make your own steel and aluminum, you can’t fight a war, and that is what the president’s doing. He’s trying to make sure that we make sufficient steel and aluminum to protect our defence.”
“Which I certainly support,” Shaheen said, to which Lutnick replied, “Sounds like we exactly agree.”
“But I don’t agree on the way it’s been done,” Shaheen responded, “because we’re not going to have the steel that we need immediately to provide the supplies that we need immediately. So we need to do a little better planning before we put in place those kinds of tariffs.”
Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that raised tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from 25 per cent — a rate put in place three months ago — to 50 per cent, effective Wednesday.
In her exchange with Lutnick, Shaheen highlighted concerns from a ball bearing manufacturer in her state that supplies the U.S. aerospace industry.
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