Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., left, speaks with John Noh on April 9, 2025, before a House Armed Services Committee hearing. (Eric Kayne/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee warned Wednesday that tariffs levied against Australia and other security partners in the Indo-Pacific region were harming relationships needed to deter China.
The lawmakers lashed out at a Defense Department official testifying before the committee, telling him the military was not insulated from the effects of President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sweeping tariffs on nearly all goods imported to the United States.
“You’ve got to send back to the [defense] secretary that the trade war significantly diminishes our power throughout the world,” said Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif. “Send the message back that these negotiations, this trade war, is a very serious challenge toward the Indo-Pacific region and other parts of the world.”
John Noh, who is performing the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, repeatedly refused to answer questions about the tariffs, saying they were “outside the purview” of his position.
“I’m not here to talk about tariffs,” Noh said during a hearing on the military’s posture and national security challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
Many U.S. allies and partners in the region have been hit with tariffs in recent days, including Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.
Democrats said they were particularly concerned about alienating Australia, which has a security pact with the U.S. and the United Kingdom to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines. The U.S. imposed a 10% tariff on Australia despite having a free trade agreement with the country.
The submarine agreement with Australia, called AUKUS, is intended to “promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable” and includes a $3 billion commitment by Australia to invest in the U.S. submarine industry.
“They’re putting money into our industrial base and yet we are tariffing Australia at the same level as the country of Iran,” said Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn. “For some of us who are in touch with members of parliament in Australia, there is definitely collateral damage to our allies in terms of what’s happening out there.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said last week that the duties levied on Australian goods entering the U.S. go against “the basis of our two nations’ partnership” and were “not the act of a friend.”
Trump’s trade chief Jamieson Greer defended the tariffs against the country during a Senate hearing on Tuesday, saying “we should be running up the score against Australia.”
Noh on Wednesday described the U.S. relationship with Australia and other Indo-Pacific allies as “strong,” pointing to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent visit to the region. He also emphasized that Trump’s “America first” policy did not mean “America alone,” though Democrats did not buy it.
“We have launched a trade war against every single one of our partners in the Asia region, every last one of them, no matter how much they’ve worked with us,” said Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the committee. “I am deeply concerned that that is going to undermine our ability to deter the region toward no particular end.”
Several Republicans defended Trump’s trade policy despite the criticism.
Rep. Trent Kelly, R-Miss., said the U.S. was looking for relationships with nations that were “mutually beneficial,” not with “someone who just takes everything we give them and gets mad when we want something back.”
Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., a Marine Corps and Navy veteran, argued the tariffs are forcing dozens of countries to come to the table to seek trade terms with the U.S. that are fairer.
“One thing that we all understand as military guys … [is] what everybody understands around the world is strength,” he said. “[This is] more beneficial to the United States because we’ve been at a disadvantage all this time. And I think it puts us in a position where people understand strength and fairness.”
