Senator Shaheen Presses Pentagon on Trade War’s Impact on Military Readiness

Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth raising concerns over the national security implications of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Shaheen warned that tariffs imposed on imports from nearly every country risk undermining the Department of Defense’s purchasing power, weakening industrial supply chains, and driving up costs for defense contractors—particularly small businesses.

“In the long term, tariffs will drive up DOD’s contracting and procurement costs, limit DOD buying power and ultimately harm the warfighter and our military readiness,” Shaheen wrote.

The letter cited the Department’s vulnerability to rising procurement costs and the risk of critical supply shortages, referencing recent findings from the Congressional Budget Office and Government Accountability Office.

Shaheen also questioned the scope of Chapter 98 tariff exemptions and requested written responses from Secretary Hegseth by April 30 regarding the scope of impacted imports, cost calculations, and mitigation strategies.

 Full text of the letter can be found here