Shaheen Presses Hegseth on Tariff Disruption to America’s Defense Industrial Base, National Security

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen,a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, today questioned U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John Caine during a Defense Appropriations Subcommittee hearing examining the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Defense. During her questioning, Shaheen pressed Hegseth on the impacts of the administration’s tariffs on steel and aluminum on the defense industrial base, supply chain lead times and our overall military readiness.Clickhereto watch Shaheen’s full remarks and questions.
Key Quotes from Shaheen:
In aletterto U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last month, Shaheenraised concerns about how the President’s trade war harms defense supply chainsand ultimately weakens America’s military readiness. The Senator expressed how tariffs on imports will increase prices for the Department of Defense’s defense acquisitions – harming its purchasing power and further raising costs on small businesses.
Citing national security concerns and a lack of qualifications on the Senate floor, Shaheen announced in January that Hegseth would be the first nominee for Secretary of Defense that sheopposedsince joining the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee in 2011.
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