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Article snippet: Military officials are still grappling with MORE’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum, uncertain as to how they might affect the Defense Department. Trump on Thursday ordered a 25 percent tariff on imported steel and a 10 percent tariff on imported aluminum — exempting Canada and Mexico — in an attempt to stop “aggressive foreign trade practices.” He said tariffs are meant to improve national security. Defense Secretary MORE, in a memo to the Commerce Department last month, agreed with the president that, “the systematic use of unfair trade practices to intentionally erode our innovation and manufacturing industrial base poses a risk to our national security.” But he added that the Pentagon was concerned “about negative impact on our key allies” from the tariffs. In Congress, where opposition to the tariffs is strong among Republicans, lawmakers have warned the tariffs could damage some of the country’s most important military alliances. A group of GOP senators raised that fear in a letter to Trump Thursday. Led by Sen. MORE (R-Iowa), the lawmakers wrote that the tariffs risk “alienating key international partners that contribute to our ability to defend our nation and maintain international stability.” In several hearings this week, when the topic of tariffs and its effect on the national security came up, senior administration officials mostly demurred and moved on to other topics. On Wednesday, National Intelligence Director MORE sidestepped a question from ... Link to the full article to read more